


Romance in Darkness

by kimurasato



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-28
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-17 09:22:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 91,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1382284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimurasato/pseuds/kimurasato
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Dash left, Danny tried to move on, to no avail. As friends gather again in Amity Park, new threats lurk in the shadows. Can Danny defeat them before it's too late?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is the sequel to Romance in Black. I took a bit of a break from writing Danny Phantom fan fiction and didn't get around to writing this until 2013. The idea turned out a lot different from how I originally planned it while I was still writing Romance in Black, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

The summer night was warm, but his breath came out in puffs of sheer white that curled and faded as it rose through the night sky. Not a cloud lingered, revealing thousands of twinkling stars winking at the quiet world below. No sounds reached his ears as he sat upon the stone ledge of a tall building that overlooked the sleepy town of Amity Park. It was quite unusual for such little activity to take place here when usually ghosts came out to play. Amity Park still maintained the title of most haunted town in the world despite the recent decline in activity.

A sigh fell from his lips as glowing green eyes watched the brief life of the blue wisp twisting on the warm air. He leaned forward upon the leg drawn up to his chest as his mouth closed in a frown. Another ghost finally made its appearance, floating over the rooftop until it paused at his back. His eyes didn't flick away even once from watching the town that lay below his perch. The ghost that arrived was no threat to him.

"It's coming." Despite his efforts, his body tensed, every muscle in him urging him to fall into the usual battle stance like the threat was right before him. He took a breath to calm the feeling as white gloved hands gripped the ledge tightly. This wasn't their first meeting, but he wished it would be their last.

A jingle of sound filled the air, making his ears twitch as he winced. No words were spoken by the other ghost, but he still understood the meaning quite clearly. He stood suddenly, refusing to turn and face the other ghost.

"I'm well aware of what it means!" His voice came out more waspishly than he meant. He had no reason to get angry at this ghost, though the constant nagging was wearing thin on him. This wasn't the way things were supposed to happen, but he could never have predicted the turn of events. How could have known back then where his actions would lead him? "I may be young." His eyes narrowed, fists clenched, and jaw tightened. "But I've taken care of myself this long. I think I know what I'm doing after all this time. And in case you forgot, I didn't need _your_ help back then."

The jingle repeated, amusement entering its tone.

He twisted around, floating half an inch off the ledge as he landed a glare upon the ghost, hidden in shadow despite the clear night. "It's not my fault he knows nothing!" He sneered at the ghost, struggling to keep control over his emotions. "This has never gone exactly the way we expected. He doesn't even know anything. I'll handle it just like last time, and you can all go back to your happy little afterlives and leave me in peace." Not waiting for another jingle of conversation, he turned and flew away, speeding over the town. He would hear no more of this and refuse any further requests to have little meetings like that one. Why must they insist on drawing him back in?

 

The irritating beeping of his alarm clock woke him up early in the morning. A hand shot out from under the blankets, groping around at the nightstand beside his bed until he found the clock. Hand, curling into a fist, pounded down on the clock, cutting the beeping short. The arm disappeared under the blankets again, and the lump shifted, drawing the blankets tighter around him. He groaned when sleep refused to come to him. Dragging his body out from under the warm blankets, Danny stretched his arms over his head as he yawned widely. Despite a full night of sleep, filled with weird dreams, he still felt exhausted. If not for the plans he made for the day, he would have happily slept half the day away.

After a quick shower, Danny searched through his closet for clean clothes. He huffed a sigh when he didn't find anything he liked. But who was he trying to impress anyway? He tugged on a pair of slim fit jeans and a navy blue T-shirt. When Dash made the decision to graduate early from Casper High, Danny was crushed by the news. In the short time that he dated the jock under the guise of Danielle Masters, Danny fell and fell hard for him. He still couldn't even understand why Dash captured his heart so fully before he even realized it happened.

Danny scrubbed his hair as dry as he could with his towel before he tossed it into his laundry basket. Even a brushing wouldn't tame all of his unruly raven locks. He tried to move on from Dash. He really did! His secret identity of Danny Phantom was kept safe after the incident at the dance, but word about his cross dressing escapade spread like wildfire through the school. With Dash out of the picture, some of the men took interest in him, and he even dated a few of them. They were attractive. He couldn't deny that. But they weren't Dash, and despite his best efforts, the relationships fell apart. The whole affair was Dash was public knowledge at their school, and the men he actually went on dates with could tell he still wasn't over the jock.

"I'm so pathetic," Danny mumbled, shoving his wallet into his back pocket as he left his room. Sometimes, he almost wanted to go to Desiree and make a wish to forget all about Dash. Maybe he could be happy if he never met Dash from the beginning. But he couldn't do it. There were times when he would stand before the Portal in his parents' laboratory, willing himself to enter the Ghost Zone. But in the end, he clung to even the smallest memory of Dash.

When he hit the bottom of the stairs, he was swept into a hug that nearly broke every bone in his body. He gasped, head feeling light from lack of air until he was released and staggered back a step.

"There's my college boy!" Jack said cheerily with his large hands on Danny's shoulders, steadying him somewhat.

"Dad, you don't have to be so excited about it," Danny mumbled, glancing away. He already heard all the "I'm proud of you" speeches from his father on the car ride home from the airport. It was his first full day back in Amity Park, and he didn't plan to spend it lazing about the house listening to his father blather on about his great achievement of getting into college until his brain went numb. "And I'm going to be late. I made plans with my friends."

"All right, all right." Jack grinned widely as he patted Danny on the shoulder. "I'll let you go. We'll have a big family supper tonight to celebrate."

"You didn't do this when Jazz came home from college," Danny grumbled with a frown. But it was always expected that Jazz would get into a great college. It was uncertain for a while that Danny would even graduate high school. He had Kwan to thank for that really. The jock really buckled down and helped him catch up on his shaky subjects. Danny barely scored a passing grade in French, but it was enough to allow him to graduate with everyone in his class. Some thanks went to Vlad who put Amity Park as an off limits zone for all ghosts so that Danny could put all his focus on studying without any ghostly interruptions.

"I'm just really happy for you." Jack wore a watery smile. Graduation was probably one of his most embarrassing moments of high school as his dad cried joyously when Danny got his diploma. The crying wouldn't have been quite as embarrassing if it weren't for the accompanying blowing of his nose that sounded like foghorns that echoed through the auditorium. Or if Jack hadn't stood up with a shout of "that's my boy!" Danny felt his cheeks heat the memory.

"Thanks, Dad," Danny mumbled awkwardly.

Jack placed a hand on his son's head and ruffled his hair. "Have fun with your friends." With that, he turned and headed for the kitchen.

Danny rolled his eyes as he left the house. He really hoped his father wouldn't be like that all summer, or he would regret returning home. Jazz decided to stay in New York this summer after getting a job there, which left Danny to deal with their parents alone. He was glad he planned on getting a summer job to keep him out of the house for most of the summer. He simply needed to find one, and he hoped he didn't get stuck with a job at the Nasty Burger. As much as he liked eating there, he had no desire to work there, especially after the time that he filled in for Valerie as the mascot.

A quick walk led him to Sam's house, where they planned to meet bright and early today. Danny rolled his eyes as he rang the doorbell. They would have the whole summer to hang out, when jobs allowed it. He knew Sam didn't plan on seeking out a job for the summer, but Tucker was already looking at some tech stores to apply for a job. Danny wasn't sure yet where he would start looking for a job. Maybe if Tucker got a job somewhere, he could put in a good word for Danny, though he really didn't know even close to as much about all the latest tech gadgets as Tucker did, unless it was related to ghost hunting.

It took only moments for the door to open wide, and for the second time that day, Danny was swept into a crushing hug, though this one wasn't nearly as bone breaking as his father's hug. As soon as the arms pulled away from him, he was yanked into the house. Danny laughed as Sam dragged him through the house and down into the theater. He was about to comment on her strangely over eagerness, but the words caught in his throat when he spotted Paulina and Kwan waiting in the cushy theater seats along with Tucker. When Sam sent him the message about meeting up, she left out the part about Paulina and Kwan coming as well.

"Danny!" Paulina hopped out of her seat to draw him into a hug.

If everything that happened senior didn't, Danny probably would have melted with happiness to have Paulina willingly hugging him like this. "It's good to see you too, Paulina," he said with a laugh. He nodded his head over Paulina's shoulder. "You too, Kwan." The jock lifted a hand in a small wave as he smiled. "You never said _everyone_ was meeting up."

"Well, not everyone," Tucker noted.

Danny noticed tension filling the air as everyone looked away awkwardly. At first, he thought Tucker was referring to Dash, and his heart squeezed painfully. He was trying not to bring those memories to surface, even though he kept thinking about the man whenever his mind started to wander. But after another glance around the room, he asked, "Where's Abner?" The short blond man that helped him with the cross dressing and posed as his cousin senior year wasn't present. He never actually heard from the man after they graduated high school, despite a promise to keep in touch with each other.

"He wasn't sure if he was going to make it back this summer," Sam answered when no one else did. "He's apparently having the time of his life at fashion school."

"So," Paulina clapped her hands, "what were the plans for today?" She smiled, clearly trying to bring things back around to a happier topic. Even though they spent the rest of senior year hanging out as friends, Danny still thought it was strange having Paulina and Kwan as part of their gang. Only a few weeks before graduation, Paulina admitted that the reason she didn't agree to going to the dance with any of the men that asked her was because she was hoping to meet Danny Phantom at the dance. She still had a lingering crush on the ghostly hero, but after learning his true identity, she knew she didn't stand a chance of winning his heart after seeing how madly in love Danny was with Dash. When Danny asked about why Kwan didn't have anyone else to go with, Paulina didn't have an answer. Kwan apparently never told her the reason.

"I just want to relax," Danny said as he collapsed into one of the theater. "My finals were hell, and I have no idea how I managed to pass them. I just want to not think for the whole summer."

"You know," Tucker said as he leaned back in his seat, "you've never really told about what happened when you disappeared all that time during junior year."

"Do we have to talk ghosts?" Danny pulled a face and nearly groaned at the thought. He was ghost hunting free for a little over a year now, and he was actually enjoying that fact. With Vlad having talks in the Ghost Zone, fewer and fewer ghosts were breaking out of the Ghost Zone. A few criminal ghosts liked to sneak over to the human world and cause havoc, but Danny was no longer the only one that stood against their harassment of humans. Thanks to that, his freshmen year at college was relatively peaceful, and he actually had the opportunity to attend an out of state college instead of feeling trapped in Amity Park because of the Portal.

"You've been carrying around the secret for two years now," Sam pointed out, frowning at him.

Danny sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. He really hated thinking back on those memories, even more than he hated when Dash slipped into his thoughts. "It was a war in the Ghost Zone," he said with his eyes toward the ceiling so that he wouldn't see any of their faces. "I won't go into the details, but Warder Walker wanted to assume control, and you know how he is." Then remembering he wasn't alone with Sam and Tucker, he added, "He was a major stickler for 'the rules.' Any law breaking received harsh punishment. His prison was one of the most feared places in the Ghost Zone. Vlad and I managed to rally together an army of ghosts to fight against him. He was tough, but Pariah Dark still has him beat." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I thought we wanted happy topics."

When a hand squeezed his hand, Danny glanced over to see Paulina offering him a small smile. "I don't know a whole lot about the Ghost Zone and all that," she said, "but those must be hard memories for you to carry with you."

"I have a lot of memories like that," Danny mumbled, hopefully too soft for any of those present to hear.

"Okay. You're right. That's enough with the depressing talk," Sam admitted, throwing her arms up in defeat. She leaned over the back of the seat and wrapped her arms around Danny in a hug. "Movie marathon? We've got a popcorn and a cotton candy machine and a soda fountain."

"Can we watch the new Sayonara Pussycat movie?" Paulina asked hopefully.

Sam gritted her teeth but agreed, making the attempt to keep things friendly among them all. They were better friends than they were in the past, but sometimes, Danny could tell Sam still clung to those first impressions of Paulina as a shallow girl. Danny was still surprised that Paulina was attending law school. She never struck him as being interested in becoming a lawyer, but he only really got to know her toward the end of their high school career.

What might have been five or six movies later - he lost count - Danny checked the time on his watch. "Ugh, I have this family dinner thing I'm supposed to do. My dad's still on that whole crazy pride kick." He rolled his eyes. "If this keeps up, I might have to beg you all to hide me." Laughing, he climbed out of his seat and stretched after the long hours of mostly sitting around. It was nice to actually do nothing for a change after the hard year at college.

"I should probably head out too," Kwan said as he got up too. "I'm supposed to work an early shift tomorrow."

"Next time, we should go to the beach," Paulina suggested as the two men headed for the stairs. "I saw just bought this really cute bikini that I'm dying to wear."

Danny laughed when he heard Sam's groan. They were out of the house before Kwan grabbed his arm. "Uh, hi," Danny said awkwardly as he blinked up at the jock. He realized for the first time how quiet Kwan was the entire time they were watching movies. In fact, he couldn't really remember hearing the jock utter a single word.

"I wish I could tell you something about Dash," Kwan confessed with his gaze cast to the ground. "I've tried to get in contact with him almost every day since he left, but he won't respond at all." He reached up, hand threading through his dark locks. "I was really hoping I could get through to him."

Danny looked away, his heart sinking. Not only did all his lying destroy anything he had with Dash, but he ruined Kwan's relationship with his best friend. Nothing he did seem to be without terrible consequences. "I'm really sorry about all of this," he mumbled, hanging his head. "I keep thinking it would be better if I hadn't been so stupid and told Sam no when she brought up the suggestion of cross dressing. Looking back, it was so stupid." He closed his eyes, tears burning at their edges. His throat felt tight as he spoke, and his heart continued to feel like it was dropping a thousand feet downward. He made a mess of everything.

Kwan surprised him with his next words. "Dash is the idiot."

Danny snapped his head up, eyes staring widely at the jock. "But I'm the one that screwed everything up."

"And Dash is the one being stupid and overreacting." Kwan shook his head. "If I knew where to find him, I'd punch him in the face." He patted Danny on the shoulder. "I'll see you around." With a wave, he wandered away from Sam's house.

Sighing, Danny shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked toward his house. Now he felt like punching Dash in the face too for making his best friend miserable by cutting him out like that. What was Dash even thinking? Simply because he was mad at Danny didn't mean he had to terminate his friendship with Kwan. Danny almost wished there was a rogue ghost around so that he could relieve some of his frustration and anger and misery by fighting it. He took a deep breath as he approached his house and buried all those feelings to keep his parents from suspecting anything.

What was Dash doing now? The question lingered in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

After parting ways with Danny, Kwan didn't head for his house. He was several blocks away from Sam's house when he pulled out his cell phone. His eyes gazed upon the screen for many long minutes as he continued walking. The sun already set while they were busy watching movies in the theater of Sam's house, though Kwan hardly paid much attention to whatever was playing on the screen. He knew it was supposed to be their big kick off into summer after their first year away at college, but he simply didn't feel all that excited about it. After one final moment of hesitation, he dialed the familiar number then held the phone to his ear.

"Hey, it's me," Kwan said when the call went directly to voice mail, "again. Look. I get it. I won't bring him up again. Ever. Are you happy now? You won. All further conversations will have nothing to do with him. I just-" He sighed, the usual depression coming over him. "I just want to hear from you, okay, man? Just call me back. I just-" He closed his eyes tightly. "I just want to know you're all right. Please. Just let me know you aren't lying in some ditch somewhere dead with no one around to even know you're there. Please talk to me. You're my best friend. I miss you." Kwan tried to think of something more to say, but the words wouldn't come. Slowly, his hand pausing several times along the way, he lowered the phone then stared at it for at least a minute before he ended the call.

With his eyes closed, Kwan sighed, his phone disappearing back into his pocket. Dash was being a complete idiot over what happened between him and Danny, and Kwan wanted to tell him that to his face. But he would keep his opinions to himself if it meant Dash would come back. It always felt like there was a part of him missing without his best friend. They were almost like brothers, and now it felt like someone punched a hole right through him that could never be healed. He really wished they could go back to the way things were, but Dash clearly was never going to forgive Danny.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he kept walking, right past his parents' house then out of the cozy little neighborhood. What set Dash off anyway? Why did he get so angry simply because he discovered Danny was deceiving him by cross dressing? Kwan admitted he would probably be a bit taken aback and upset to discover someone that he was dating lied to him, but he thought he could get over it, eventually. Probably. He couldn't say for certain. After all, he was never placed in that same situation. He sighed when he thought perhaps he might see Dash's reason for remaining angry with Danny. Dash was deceived twice in the same way by the same person. Then there was the whole thing with Danny being a man. Dash, as Kwan knew, rejected the idea of homosexuality. Even though they both went to the gay club once, Kwan dragging Dash to come with him. He could still remember Dash getting hit on that one man in drag. A smile tried to cross his face as he recalled that night at the club, and Dash's major freak out on the way home after they left.

Kwan shook his head as he entered a section of Amity Park that didn't house the best buildings. Some looked rather run down and close to collapsing upon themselves. Notices of their condemned state were pasted on the doors of a few while others didn't have a door at all. He ignored the state of the buildings that he passed, his pace picking up with long, quick strides. This neighborhood wasn't the best, and while some harmless homeless people might camp out in the abandoned buildings, Kwan was also aware that some criminals used them as a hideout. Normally, he wouldn't consider walking through this area, but he was tired and wanted to get back home as quickly as possible.

A sound made him stop, his heart leaping into his throat. It was a shuffling sound followed by a clinking noise like a can skipping over the pavement of the street. His head turned slowly toward the source of the curious sound, almost expecting to find some grimy, disheveled man staggering his way down the street. He prayed it wouldn't be the other horrible thought lurking in his mind that he didn't want to let surface. If a criminal came charging at him, Kwan thought he could probably handle it, but he would rather avoid such an encounter if possible.

He didn't expect the woman that used the wall of one building to support her as she stumbled toward him. She didn't look like the type of person that usually frequented this area of Amity Park. Her long auburn hair fell in waves about her shoulders, reaching down to her waist. Her dress looked high end and very expensive. At some point, she apparently lost her shoes because she walked barefoot, which given the state of this area was not wise. There could be broken glass or other sharp objects that she might cut her feet upon, and Kwan would be wary of contracting some sort of disease from touching anything around here.

When she nearly collapsed to the ground, Kwan rushed over to catch her. Dash always joked about him being too nice, and maybe he was, but Kwan couldn't ignore a woman in need of help. The woman leaned on him, placing her hands on his biceps as she lifted her head. Emerald colored eyes blinked up at him, but they were unfocused like she didn't really see him.

"Are you okay?" Kwan asked in concern. She tilted her head at him, bafflement in her eyes. She looked physically all right. He couldn't see any signs that she was attacked, and her clothing wasn't mussed up. When she leaned up, her face drawing far too close to him, Kwan released an uneasy laugh. "Um, can I help you home?" He wasn't sure what else to do in this situation.

She was so close now that her breath washed over his lips. A faint smell of strawberries came from somewhere, but Kwan wasn't sure if that was from some kind of lip gloss or perhaps her shampoo or a body wash. Then her pink lips stretched into a grin, and she nodded her answer to his question. Her arms latched onto one of his arms, using him to keep her afoot. It took some prodding for the woman to give directions to her place of residence. She wasn't much for talk, merely pointing whatever way she wanted him to go, as she kept her body pressed close to him.

When they reached the woman's home, Kwan hesitated at the gate. The house that lay beyond the wrought iron gate was a mansion. There was even a fountain in the center of the turnaround before the front door of the house at the end of the long driveway. He couldn't even begin to guess the number of rooms housed within the mansion, though it was probably somewhere around thirty or forty. Who exactly was this woman that he ran into? And why would she be wandering around in such a bad part of town?

"Mistress!" The shout came from a guard who opened the gate the minute he spied the pair standing on the other side of it. He rushed forward, taking stock of the woman's condition.

"I don't think she was hurt," Kwan offered with growing awkwardness. The woman clearly had money from the style of clothing she wore, but Kwan didn't think she might be some sort of millionaire heiress. "I found her wandering in a daze, but she seems mostly fine."

The guard stared at him with a look that suggested he didn't believe the story. "Thank you for returning our mistress," he said stiffly as he lifted the woman into his arms like a bride. "We were quite worried about her when she didn't return home." His eyes narrowed, and his nose wrinkle with mild disgust. "Don't expect a reward."

Kwan held his hands up defensively. "I just wanted to make sure she got home all right. Not looking for any kind of reward." He gave the woman one last glance before he turned to continue on his way home. As he walked, he shook his head. Why did people always think that he expected something in return when he tried to do something nice? He couldn't simply leave the woman to fend for herself. She could barely walk on her own! _I guess when the woman is that rich, they get a lot of people expecting something for doing "favors_ ," Kwan thought with a roll of his eyes.

It took another half hour of walking before Kwan reached the small apartment building that he lived in ever since he supposedly went off to college. His parents never even realized that he was still in Amity Park, which actually seemed rather sad when he thought about it. They thought the whole dip in his college fund was from paying for tuition to medical school when he was actually using it to pay rent on the apartment and for taking a few courses at a local college. It wasn't the greatest apartment in the world, but it was decent enough with the right amount of space. He was still amazed by how completely oblivious his parents could be. They would be furious with him if they ever learned that he wasn't pursuing their dream of having a doctor for a son.

Kwan sighed as he entered the apartment. It didn't have much in it: a couch, a table, and a small television. There were two bedrooms, each having their own beds although his was just a mattress thrown down on the floor without a frame. His roommate currently lay on the couch with one arm dangling off the side and the remote for the television nearly slipping out of his hold. Kwan rolled his eyes, a slight smile tugging at his mouth as he walked over to shut off the television. The moment the sound from it shut off, the other man stirred from his sleep.

"Didn't mean to wake you," Kwan mumbled as he walked past the couch to the small kitchen area of the apartment.

The remote clattered on the table top as the other man sat up, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. "S'okay." He scratched a hand through his dusty blond hair, only seeming half awake. "I thought you would be back later."

Kwan shrugged as he grabbed a cold soda from the refrigerator. "I was getting bored watching movies." He walked back over and collapsed onto the couch. "If Paulina had her way, we would have watched the whole Sayonara Pussycat series."

The man cracked a smile. "I bet Sam would have murdered her before you even got halfway through it."

Kwan laughed. "I think she came close when we were watching the latest movie. Even I felt a little like punching something. I really don't know how Paulina still likes that stuff."

"Because she's all gumdrops and sugar cubes," the man offered with a grin and a playful flutter of his eyes. "Oh!" He reached into the pocket of his plaid pants. "Rent and food expenses." He held out a wad of cash.

Kwan sighed as he pushed the money back toward the man. "Abner, we've been over this. You don't have to pay for anything. I can manage the cost without you chipping in." He hated the feeling of taking every scrap of cash the man made.

Abner turned Kwan's hand over and shoved the money into it. "I'm not some freeloader," he insisted as his eyes narrowed. "You're letting me live here, and I appreciate it. But I'm not going to just kick back and let you pay for everything."

"And," Kwan closed his hand around the money, deciding not to get into a debate over it, "when do you plan to tell everyone that you're not living it up at that fashion school?"

Abner folded his arms over his small frame and gave Kwan a look. "When do you plan to tell them you never left for medical school?"

Kwan glanced away, frowning. Neither of them were being completely honest with their friends. They both remained in Amity Park when everyone believed they left for college. Kwan was actually surprised when he found Abner was still in Amity Park. After sharing a coffee the day they bumped into each other shortly after they were supposed to have left, Kwan learned that the other man wasn't able to afford the tuition to the fashion school. Abner's parents cut him off completely, refusing to even give him a single cent to pay for school. He was lucky to make it out of his house with most of his possessions, and at that time, he was camping out on a friend's couch until he figure out what to do. That was when Kwan came up with the brilliant idea for them to be roommates.

"I didn't think it was important," Kwan answered with a shrug. "But are you ever going to tell them that you're here? I'm sure they want to see you. It's not like they won't understand your situation."

Abner's mouth pursed in a frown. "I don't want their pity. It's bad enough you pity me. I don't want them giving me that look and patting me on the back telling me it'll be okay. I don't want them feeling sorry for me because I work three jobs just to make rent."

"I've told you, you don't have to pay," Kwan said tiredly, but he knew Abner would simply continue to fight him on that. The man was too proud to live there without some form of repayment. "And I'm not doing all this out of pity. It's a nice arrangement. I like having someone here when I come home. I don't think I could have made it through this last year if I was completely on my own. It just would have been too depressing. And you have that job working at that fashion place. It may not be exactly what you wanted, but it's a step in the door. Right?"

Abner drew his legs up and rested his chin on top of his knees. "Wish they would let me do more there," he mumbled then released a miserable sigh. "They won't even listen to any of my ideas. They treat me like I don't know anything about fashion sometimes."

"It'll get better," Kwan said encouragingly. Leaning back on the couch, he stared at the ceiling. He really hoped it got better.

Abner sighed as he climbed to his feet. "I should probably hit the sack now. I have to be at work at six." He stretched his arms over his head, his gray shirt lifting to reveal a fraction of his pale skin. "I'll see you," he paused to think about it, "well, whenever we next have the same off time." He gave a small wave as he wandered his way toward his bedroom.

"Night, Abs!" Kwan called as the door closed behind the man. When all was silent again, he leaned forward with a sigh. He rubbed at his face, exhausted at the very thought of the work schedule ahead of him. Thankfully, the lack of classes during the summer would give him some free time to spend with his friends. Maybe life would have been better for him if he went to medical school like his parents wanted. But he wouldn't be happy if he followed their dream for him. He wanted to live his life his way, even if that meant stumbling a lot along the way. Even if things seemed hard and difficult right now, at least he was taking control of his life rather than having it ruled over by his parents.

Kwan placed the unopened can of soda on the table before the couch. He would have to wake up early in the morning to head for work as well, and he didn't need the caffeine keeping him up all night. As he stood, his phone buzzed. Couldn't whoever it was wait until morning? With a sigh, Kwan pulled out his phone and read over the text message.

_Not dead, dumbass. - D.B._

Kwan stifled a laugh at the message. His mouth pulled into a grin at that simple text. It was almost like that little note was a sign that things would be turning around for him. Life wasn't horrible. Stressful and busy, maybe, but it could be a lot worse. Finally receiving a reply from Dash gave Kwan some hope that maybe he could regain some of what he lost. He quickly typed out a quick message to send back.

_Back for summer? - K.L._

Kwan chewed on his lip, waiting, watching, praying for a response. At least twenty minutes passed, and he started to give up hope until he received another text.

_Maybe. - D.B._

Kwan typed out his address and sent it to Dash with a hope that his friend would visit sometime if he made it back to Amity Park for the summer. Once that was done, he headed into his bedroom and collapsed onto his mattress, not bothering to change or pull the covers over his body before falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The dinner with his parents turned out to be not as bad as he anticipated. His father managed to tone down on the whole pride thing, somehow not bringing up how proud he was that Danny got into college even once the whole night. His mother only gave him a tight hug before they all sat down for what his father called a big celebratory meal, which ended up including nearly charred steak. His father wasn't the best cook when he was overly excited about something. At least, the house wasn't set on fire. Again. For the rest of the night, he was bombarded with questions about how things were at college. They wanted to know everything from how he did in his classes, how did he like his teachers, what friends he made, if there were any ghosts haunting the campus. By the time he was able to crawl off to bed, he was exhausted.

A week passed since he first arrived home from college. Danny was still searching madly for a job, but after all the places he applied to and interviews he had, he didn't get hired anywhere yet. Tucker managed to get a job at an electronics store after only a few days. He tried to get Danny hired there too so that they could be co-workers, but after his interview there, the manager told Danny that he simply wasn't what they were looking for in an employee. Danny sighed as he crossed out another electronics store ad in the newspaper. He certainly wouldn't be getting a job at that kind of store.

"If you all get jobs, I'm going to be left alone," Sam complained as she walked beside Danny down the street. "Or worse, I'll be left alone with Paulina."

Danny tore his gaze away from the newspaper in time to avoid walking into a lamppost. "Paulina isn't all bad."

"You're not the one being forced to go swimsuit shopping with her." Sam visibly shuddered at the very thought.

"I thought Paulina already bought a new bikini for the summer." Danny thought he remembered hearing Paulina mention something about that when she brought up going to the beach as he was leaving Sam's house that night.

"She did." Sam groaned as her shoulders slumped. "But she wants to find _me_ something to wear to the beach when we go." She turned around and grabbed Danny by the shoulders. "If you don't come with me, I might actually strangle her. Or myself." Her violet eyes begged Danny to agree to her request.

Danny sighed dramatically. "Fine. But if she tries to stick me in a bikini too, I'm walking out."

Sam let her eyes run down and back up Danny's body. "A bikini wouldn't really suit you. But a one piece might look good."

"The drag jokes are never going to go away, are they?" Danny groaned when he caught the wide smile now gracing Sam's face. He hoped more than a year later the whole drag incident would be laid to rest, but he should have known his friends would continue to tease him mercilessly about it.

"Speaking of drag, have you heard anything from Devon?"

Danny turned his attention back to the newspaper, trying to find a decent store to try applying to next. "He's still in New York, meeting with a therapist at least once a week." He only received a few messages from the other man over the year. It would have been better for everyone if Devon approached Danny from the beginning to tell him about the ghost threatening him. Danny thought he would stay mad at the man for a lot longer, but Devon lost his loved one because of the ghost and Danny knew how much that hurt. Even if he was only abandoned and rejected by the man he loved, unlike Devon whose lover was killed by the ghost. It still hurt either way. As soon as he returned to New York, Devon sought out help for dealing with everything that he went through because of the ghost. He promised not to mention anything about Danny or the ghosts to his therapist.

Sam nodded along to what he said. Then she sighed as she shook her head. "It seems like none of us had any luck with love." She hugged her arms around her body.

Danny lifted an eyebrow at her. "What about you and Tucker? And don't even try to act like there's nothing going on between the two of you. I still don't believe that you went to that dance as just friends."

Sam couldn't fight off the blush that rose to her cheeks. "We promised we wouldn't date each other," she answered with her head tilted high. "We're attending different colleges, and the whole long distance thing never works out. We figured it would be better to simply not date and put ourselves through that. If we still like each other by the end of college, we'll see how things go then."

"Long distance only doesn't work if you're not meant to be," Danny said, poking Sam in the side with his pen. He grinned at the furious blush upon her face. He knew for a fact that neither one of his friends hooked up with anyone during their year apart. It was almost silly of them not to admit that they wanted to date each other. "I guess I can sort of see your reason though. I don't know that I could do the whole long distance dating either. Sounds pretty stressful." He shrugged then chewed on the cap of his pen as he glanced back at the newspaper. He didn't have much to worry about in the romance department though since he never made it to a second date with any of the people he dated after Dash.

And with the blond blockhead rearing back into his memory, Danny exhaled tiredly. What was he even doing with his life? If Dash was never going to return his feelings, why did he have to feel so miserably about the idea of seeing someone else? Dash didn't even have the right to be angry with him if Danny wanted to date. Danny wasn't entirely sure he wanted to date, not really. Not if it wasn't Dash. But he was miserable and alone, and he didn't want to be like Vlad. The older half ghost busied himself with his work and the talks trying to find some sort of order to the Ghost Zone to achieve some semblance of peace. But Danny wasn't blind. Vlad wasn't happy. He might have stopped chasing after Maddie, but the loneliness haunted him. Even if it meant giving up on the one person he might truly love, Danny wanted to find someone that could at least give him happiness.

"Sam," Danny said, his sorrow thick in his voice, "help me find someone."

A frown came over her, and Sam looked away. "Danny, I wish I knew where Dash was, but I really have no idea where he ran off to."

Danny closed his eyes, fighting back the pinching in his heart. No one knew where Dash went, not even his best friends. "No, I meant, help me find someone so I can move on from him." He sighed as he folded up his newspaper and tucked it under his arm. "I'm just making myself miserable by holding onto him. It's time for me to let go and move on. But I'm _horrible_ at finding someone I'm compatible with." He clasped his hands before him, begging her with a pout on his face. "Help me?"

With a sigh, Sam rolled her eyes. "You look like a pathetic puppy when you do that." Folding her arms, she frowned in thought, ignoring the grin that spread onto her friend's face. "Well, there's always Paulina. She knows about you, _and_ she always had a crush on the other you." Since there were other people on the street, she had to be cryptic, but Danny understood the meaning immediately. "And you always had that ridiculous crush on her. And," she frowned as he glanced at Danny. "Do you even still like girls?"

Danny shrugged. "I suppose. But I'm pretty sure I'm leaning more toward guys now. As for Paulina, that suggestion wouldn't really work out."

"Why not?" Sam stared in genuine confusion. "Didn't she say she wanted to go to the dance with you before?"

"Yeah, but it's that whole friend thing. You know, I dated Dash. Dash is her friend. She can't date a friend's ex." Danny shook his head. "I think she's still hoping Dash and I will get back together, but I don't see that happening."

Sam slapped a hand onto his shoulder. "We'll find you someone." She grinned encouragingly. "But first, we shop." Grabbing hold of Danny's arm, she dragged him into a little boutique to their left.

Danny cringed when he looked around the shop and saw nothing but frilly dresses and swimsuits all around him. Paulina was already there, waiting eagerly for Sam to arrive. "You know, just because I'm gay doesn't mean I like doing the whole bikini shopping with my girlfriends." He shot a glare at Sam.

"You already went dress shopping with me once," Paulina reminded with a teasing smile.

Danny buried his face in his hands. "Can we drop the drag thing, please?"

"Never," both women said together with wide grins on their faces. At least they were agreeing on something for once. Danny groaned as he was forced to sit around and wait while Paulina helped Sam look for a swimsuit to wear to the beach when they planned to go. He found a chair next to the dressing room and tapped his pen against the newspaper as he scanned the job listings. Was there any place that would hire him? He refused to apply at the Nasty Burger unless he got desperate.

"You know," Sam said when she came out of the dressing room in a skimpy lavender bikini, "I'm sure _Vlad_ would be willing to give you a job if you really needed it." She turned her back to the mirror and glanced over her shoulder to check her reflection.

"That one is perfect on you," Paulina said the moment she saw that Sam came out of the dressing room. "And who's Vlad?" She turned a questioning look to Danny.

"Old family friend," Danny answered with a shake of his head. "And I'm not going to him for help. I think I can manage to get a job on my own. I don't want to rely on him for everything." He already owed Vlad for his help in the fight against Daeva and developing that pill that allowed him to temporarily regain his powers while under the effects of that serum that Daeva had Devon inject into him. He owed Vlad for saving him after his recklessness during that fight pushed him close to death. He owed Vlad for allowing him to survive the last year without having to worry about ghosts attacking him. He didn't want to add getting a job to that list of things owed to the older half ghost.

Paulina shrugged, not really understanding his reluctance to go to the man. "You could always not get a job," she suggested. "You'd only be working for three months then back off to college. Why not just kick back and relax while you can?" Paulina and Sam shared the same opinion on not getting a summer job, and that almost made Danny grin. He wondered if they even realized they had a few similarities despite the way they liked to butt heads.

Danny leaned his chin in his hand. "Restlessness, I guess," he answered after some thinking. "I've been," he hesitated, glancing around to see if anyone was around to overhear, "fighting ghosts since I was fourteen. I fought in a war. I've had homework and studying filling up almost all of my time. I think if I just sat around here all summer not doing anything, as enjoyable as that would be and as much as I wanted to do that all year, I might just go a bit stir crazy from all the nothingness."

Paulina shook her head. "I've had my head about ready to explode all year from law school," she said with a laugh. "If I _don't_ sit around doing nothing, I might actually blow up."

"I think I'll get this one," Sam said after nodding at her reflection in the mirror.

"Thank you!" Danny shouted in exasperation as Sam disappeared back into the dressing room to change. "We've been here for hours!" When Sam called him up earlier that day to hang out, this was the last thing Danny thought they would be doing together. He jumped up from his chair and stretched out the stiffness in his legs.

"We should look for a swimsuit for you too," Paulina said, her eyes already sweeping across the store like she was trying to zero in on the perfect swimsuit for him.

Danny groaned as his body deflated. "Please, no more drag. I've been trying to get past that whole experience." It wasn't like it was all bad. He didn't really like the dressing up in women's clothing, but being with Dash was nice, when he wasn't completely freaking out about his sudden feelings for the jock. Looking back on it, he wished he took the opportunity to enjoy those dates more.

"No, silly!" Paulina giggled, slapping him on the arm. "I meant swim trunks. You are going to join us at the beach, right?"

"Yeah, and think of all the hunky guys that will be parading themselves around for you to drool all over," Sam said, coming up behind them with her choice of bikini in hand.

Paulina lifted a delicate eyebrow at him. "Excuse me? What is this about drooling over guys?" She frowned, her gaze hardening, as she stared him down.

Danny used his newspaper to hide from her gaze, raising it between them. "I don't want to spend my life waiting on a guy that hates me."

Silence passed for a moment before Paulina sighed. "Yeah, I guess I understand that." She hugged an arm around him as they followed Sam to the cashier. "I guess we can be the single losers of the group."

"You do know Sam and Tucker aren't technically dating, right?" Danny was dumbfounded to hear that Paulina was single. How could someone as beautiful as Paulina be single?

"They're close enough to dating to count as a couple."

"Kwan's seeing someone?"

Paulina frowned then pursed her lips to one side in thought. "Well, he hasn't told me if he is or isn't. He's been pretty secretive lately." She glanced at Danny with a worried look in her green eyes. "I'm kind of worried about him. He's not usually this quiet."

That news didn't sit well with Danny. He remembered the talk with Kwan after leaving Sam's house a week ago. The man seemed off, not the usual happy jock that Danny remembered from high school. "Maybe it's just all the stuff with school, you know." Danny shrugged, though he was willing to bet Dash had a little something to do with it as well.

"Now that we're finished with the bikini shopping," Sam said, rejoining them with a small bag from the boutique, "let's find some clothes for Danny." Her eyes lit up with excitement at the idea, and Danny had a dreadful feeling why she was excited about it.

"You're not putting me in drag again," Danny said firmly, pointing a finger at her. Sam frowned in response.

"No drag. We get it." Paulina pulled Danny toward the exit of the boutique with Sam following along behind them. "But let us pick out your clothes, and I swear you'll have a job in no time."

"And boys will be putty in your hands," Sam added with a wide grin.

Danny sighed as the two women dragged him off to another store. He really didn't want to spend the whole day in clothing stores, but he didn't seem to have much choice with Sam and Paulina siding together on this idea. He was regretting asking Sam to help him find someone so that he could move on from Dash. _What have I gotten myself into?_


	4. Chapter 4

"Summer is going to be really boring if everyone else is always working," Sam complained, digging her spoon into her tofu ice cream. "Well, Danny at least seems like he'll still have plenty of free time since he didn't pick up too many hours at that coffee shop. But Tucker sounds like he'll be working from dawn to dusk at the electronics store. I asked him if he was saving up for something, but he wouldn't tell me." She frowned, stabbing in frustration at her bowl of ice cream.

"You're not think about reconsidering the whole no summer job thing, are you?" Paulina questioned with one dark eyebrow lifting as she frowned at the woman sitting across from her. In high school, neither of them would have expected to one day being sitting with each other while sharing ice cream. Sam was actually surprised that Paulina even ate ice cream considering her desperate need to always be perfectly beautiful. The men in the ice cream shop were all swooning over her.

"No," Sam answered, glaring at all the men who couldn't seem to take their eyes off Paulina. "Although my dad was suggesting I go into work with him a few times during the summer. He wants to get me all familiarized with the company for when I take over one day." Sam rolled her eyes and sighed. It was completely expected of her take over as the heiress, and she was working on earning her business degree for when that day came. After they graduated college, they would all be going off to get real jobs, and Sam wanted to enjoy what few summers they had left before they all had to grow up and join the real world.

Paulina frowned as she swirled her spoon around her bowl, mixing the gooey fudge with the vanilla ice cream. "It might not be so bad having a job though," she said after some thought. "Work experience is always good. Maybe next summer. I don't think I'm up to handling a job right now. Law school was so stressful."

"I'm surprised Kwan had a job right away when he got back from med school." Sam licked the ice cream off her spoon as she remembered that oddity. "When did he even have time to apply for a job?"

Paulina shrugged, putting down her spoon. "When I talked to him last, it sounded like he would be super busy this summer with his job. But he wouldn't tell me anything about where he's working." She leaned over the table with a serious expression on her face. "I called his parents the other day, and they said they didn't know anything about Kwan even being home yet. Apparently they thought he was staying at med school for the summer."

"Okay. That's a little worrisome." Sam's brow furrowed. "Why would Kwan be lying to his parents?"

"I don't know, but it's making me worried. He seems so different since graduation." Paulina frowned down at her ice cream. "It makes me feel like I've lost both my friends. Dash ran off to god knows where, and Kwan's being all distant and weird." She sighed as she leaned her head into her hand. "I wish they would talk to me again."

Sam opened her mouth to complain. What were she, Danny, and Tucker then? Were they not good enough as friends to Paulina? But her mouth snapped shut, and she sighed. If she was in Paulina's place and Danny and Tucker were acting all weird or disappearing on her, she would feel pretty miserable about the whole thing too.

"And Danny!" Paulina sat up, throwing her hands into the air in a show of frustration.

"What's wrong with Danny?" Sam demanded defensively, anger building up prematurely when she thought Paulina was about to insult her friend. The three of them got along pretty well when they dragged Danny shopping. Both of them enjoyed teasing Danny about the whole drag incident, much to his embarrassment.

"I can't believe he wants to find someone other than Dash," Paulina complained then sighed. "I mean, I get his point. He deserves someone that will actually love him. But," she frowned at Sam, "I really wanted them to work it out, you know. If Dash would stop being so completely stupid about it, maybe they could be together. They were so cute together on that date. You should have seen them! Dash has never been like that with anyone else he dated. He was so madly in love with Danny."

"When he thought Danny was a girl," Sam reminded miserably. "I don't think there's much hope that Dash is going to suddenly stop being a dick and forgive Danny."

"I know," Paulina mumbled sadly with her eyes cast down to the table. Silence fell over them for a few moments. Then Paulina slapped her hand down on the table. "We should throw a party!"

Sam jumped at the sudden announcement. "A party?" she questioned with a confused knitting of her brow.

"Yes!" Paulina grinned proudly. "We'll have a party and invite a ton of people. We can introduce Danny to a bunch of people. I bet he'll find someone there that he'll like. What do we have to lose? He said he wanted to move on, as much as I hate him for saying that."

"Dash and Danny just weren't meant to be, Paulina."

"I still refuse to believe that." Paulina glared with such a dark fury that even Sam was impressed by it. "But since Danny seems determined to move on, a party sounds like the best idea. We can have it this Friday. Oh, and I can get my dad to lend us the space at that club he owns! We'll have to provide everything like food and drinks and music. But we can manage to get that all together by Friday."

Sam thought about it. She never would have thought that she might one day host a party with Paulina. They had such different tastes on everything. Paulina dressed in pink and radiated sunshine and rainbows while Sam still preferred the Goth look. She grew her hair out over the year away at college, and some of the men in her classes seemed to really like her with the long hair. Even though more than a few of them asked her out, Sam never said yes. Her thoughts were still on Tucker, and as much as she would like to date him, she was wary about the whole long distance thing.

"Food and drinks shouldn't be difficult," Sam said, leaning her head on her hand and tapping a finger on her lower lip. "My mom can get in contact with a cater that usually does all of the dinners my parents host. I'm sure they can manage to whip up some decent party food. But what about music? Do we get a band or a DJ?"

"A band would mean we'd have to audition them first," Paulina pointed out as her face scrunched up at the thought. "And we might not find a good one while a DJ just has to play whatever music we decide to have." Her eyes lit up suddenly, and she grabbed her purse. After searching through it, she pulled out a card between her forefinger and middle finger. "Or we could see if Ember could play at it?" She grinned widely.

"Ember? Really?" Sam sighed, resisting that urge to bang her head on the table. She still couldn't understand what people saw in the ghost's music, but apparently Ember made a comeback over the year.

"What? Her music is great!"

"But you got her to play at that dance. Don't we at least want someone new?"

"What do you have against Ember anyway?" Paulina frowned, folding her arms on the table. "What did she ever do to you?"

"Being a ghost comes to mind," Sam said in a lowered voice so that no one but Paulina would hear her. "Trying to take over the world with her mind controlling music. Turning Danny into some sickly puppy love dope for me. Making me end up kissing Dash," she shuddered, "to snap Danny out of it."

"What?" Paulina almost shrieked. She glanced about nervously with a weak smile when people glanced their way. "What do you mean you kissed Dash?"

Sam sighed and bowed her head. "That's the only thing you took from that? And I don't see what's so great about kissing him. He wasn't a very good kisser." It was only a quick, smashing of their lips together, but from that, Sam didn't get a very good impression of his abilities as a kisser. She really didn't understand how Dash swept Danny off his feet with that kind of kissing.

Paulina shook her head like she didn't want to think about Sam and Dash kissing. "Well, Ember did help out Danny during that fight at the dance. She can't be all that bad."

"Okay. Maybe she's not all evil," Sam grumped. She still didn't want Ember to be the one playing at the party, but Paulina generally got her way when she wanted something. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I guess Ember wouldn't be that bad to play at the party."

"Excellent! Oh, this is so exciting!" Paulina pulled out a notepad and started writing down details for planning the party.

"I'll never understand why you decided on going to law school." Sam leaned on the table as she watched Paulina grin madly as she wrote. "You seem like you'd be a great party planner."

Paulina shrugged, glancing up from her notepad. "I don't know. I've always kind of liked studying law. I know that sounds pretty crazy." She laughed. "But it's true. Party planner is just a hobby for me. I always liked throwing parties in high school. Well, if the whole lawyer thing doesn't work out, I'll always have party planning to fall back on."

"You're a lot different than I thought," Sam mumbled, shaking her head.

"Well, you never really knew anything about me." Paulina gave a pointed glare at Sam. "You only saw me as a shallow girl."

"You have to admit you never gave me the chance to get to know you."

"True. We both made snap judgments about each other." Paulina tapped her pen against her chin before jotting something else down on her planning list. "But that's high school. I think everyone did that even if they didn't mean to. If not for Danny dressing up in drag, we probably still wouldn't be able to stand each other."

"Who would have thought that would bring us together?" Sam laughed. She never would have predicted the consequences of suggesting that Danny cross dress to avoid Devon. In hind sight, it seemed like a silly suggestion, but when she thought of it, she couldn't resist sticking Danny in a dress to see what he would look like. She was pretty certain that fact made her weird. "So," she said with a serious look, "how come you're still single? I thought you, out of all of us, would be dating someone."

Paulina lifted her head and stared at Sam. A frown settled on her face as she twisted the pen in her hands. "Well, I did have plenty of opportunities. I had lots of guys asking me out, and it's not like I didn't date at all during the year." She shrugged as she glanced away. She wasn't oblivious to the eyes of the men in the ice cream shop watching her. "But they were all the same." She gestured with a hand like she was implying her comment extended to all the men present. "They all just stared at me with that look like they were trying to undress me with their eyes, and they never listened when I talked, and they got all grouchy when I wouldn't kiss them." She breathed out a sigh, anger in her eyes. "Sometimes I wish I had given Danny a real chance. I think he at least would have been more caring about me, not just treating me like I'd be some easy, quick lay or something."

"He was pretty madly in love with you before, and he is a great guy." Sam felt a little sorry for Paulina. She never thought about how the other woman would feel about the way men stared at her. In fact, she always assumed that Paulina liked the attention, and maybe part of her did, but clearly it wasn't the attention that she wanted. "But I'm sure there's a guy out there for you. You just haven't found him yet."

"I don't know. At this point, I'm done with guys. Almost all of them only care about looks. I'm just going to stay focused on my studies." Paulina frowned as her gaze turned back to her notepad.

Sam sighed when she saw that miserable expression on Paulina's face. Now she wanted to help both Danny and Paulina find someone. Maybe the party was the right thing for both of them.


	5. Chapter 5

Danny wore a friendly smile as he handed the caramel latte to the customer. His cheeks hurt from smiling for hours on end, but he had to fake the pleasantries while dealing with customers, even the overly rude ones. Some of the customers seriously tested his patience, and his restraint on using his ghost powers against humans. It was so tempting, and would be so easy, to simply zap some ectoplasm over the mouths of some customers if only to make them shut up, but that also risked exposure. He mentally sighed when the tall man moved away from the counter.

When his ghost sense tingled, Danny snapped his gaze toward the door as someone entered the small coffee shop. The woman smirked as she approached the counter, her eyes flashing bright green for a brief moment. Danny couldn't place her at first. For one, the human form that she wore didn't completely look like her ghost form. Her skin was pale, but not in that same ashen manner of a ghost. Her dark hair hung loosely about her shoulders instead of in a high ponytail. The eye makeup and the style of clothing clued him in on her identity.

"Ember?" Danny gaped at her.

"Shh!" Ember snapped her gaze around, scanning the coffee shop to see if anyone heard him. "I don't go around shouting out your alias, do I?" She glared at him, and Danny suddenly understood the subtle alterations in her appearance. She came here incognito so that she wouldn't be harassed by fans.

"Sorry. I'm just surprised to see you here." Danny frowned with a certain amount of wariness. "What are you doing here? And I still can't believe Vlad allows you out of the Ghost Zone."

"Who knew I'd become so famous after dying in that house fire?" Ember shrugged like her death wasn't a big deal then leaned on the counter. From his many encounters, Danny knew there were a lot of ghosts that didn't like bringing up how they died, and he learned never to question them about it. That question tended to incite their rage. "And I promised I wouldn't use my music for mind control anymore. Vlad never would have agreed to finance my album if I didn't agree to that."

"That didn't answer what you're doing here," Danny pointed out with a frown. "I thought you had some big tour that's supposed to start soon."

"Oh, your friends didn't tell you?" Ember blinked in surprise. "That Paulina girl called asking if I would play at a party she wanted to hold." She grinned, leaning closer on the counter as Danny's frown deepened. "I figured since I wasn't really doing anything at the moment while Vlad's taking care of scheduling out the tour, I might as well come play for my number one fan."

"Paulina's your number one fan?" Danny raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't really all that surprised. Paulina apparently didn't rest until she managed to get Ember to play at their school's dance senior year. He still didn't understand the appeal to Ember's music, but as long as she was behaving, he wasn't going to bother Ember. For now, she was simply another musician trying to make it in the music business and apparently succeeding very well at it.

"Oh, of course! She's been sending me fan mail since forever." Ember smiled, a strange look passing over her face that Danny couldn't quite place, or even remember the ghost having before. "I always read her letters, and I try to answer them back when I have the time. So how can I deny her the pleasure of hearing me play when she's such a dedicated fan?"

Danny rolled his eyes. Thinking about it now, he should have realized this was what Paulina meant when she said there would be a huge surprise at the party she was hosting tonight with Sam. He stewed over it for a while after she invited him to the party, but he never thought Paulina would mean that she got Ember to be the music for the party. "Were you actually going to get something or just harass me?" He glanced past Ember at the woman standing behind the ghost. "Because if you're not going to order something, I need you to move. You're holding up the line."

Ember glanced behind her and sighed. "When do you finish up here?"

"I've got about another hour before my shift ends."

"Great!" Ember pushed away from the counter and went to find a seat at an open table.

Danny held back a groan, realizing the ghost was waiting on him to finish working. When the woman stepped up to the counter, he put on a friendly smile. "Hello! What can I get you?" The rest of his shift continued on in much the same manner. Customers ordered their coffees and moved along. When he wasn't busy making the various types of coffees and lattes and mochas and the hundreds of other different combinations that gave him a headache remembering, he cleaned up the area, wiping down tables and throwing away trash left behind when people left the shop.

When Danny finally approached her to tell her that his shift was over, Ember jumped to her feet and stretched. "Ugh, your work is so boring," she complained as they left the coffee shop. "How can you stand it?"

"It's just a summer job, and I could only get part time." Danny shrugged. It wasn't all that bad working at the coffee shop. He knew it could be a lot worse. He didn't have to wear some hideous uniform or put on a mascot costume. His co-workers were all pretty nice, and he got along with them. He wasn't making big bucks on the job, but he was at least making a bit of extra cash that he could spend anyway he liked.

"Well, if you ever want, I could hire you as a roadie." Ember nudged him in the ribs. "And hey, when you're with me, you wouldn't have to worry about being discovered. Everyone on my crew is a ghost." She held up a hand before Danny could say anything. "All reformed. They were all interested in the music business before their deaths, and they like being a part of the whole tour thing, even if all they do is lug around the band's equipment."

Danny shook his head. "Well, I'll keep that in mind in case I'm ever struggling for cash." He shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked in the direction of his house. His gaze darted toward Ember, and he frowned. "Do you think I did the right thing? You know, with Walker and Daeva. I know Walker was a bit extreme with his rules and punishment. But isn't it a good thing to have some order, even in the Ghost Zone?"

Ember sighed like this was the millionth time they were having this discussion even though Danny never brought it up before with her. "Danny, I know it must be hard for you." She frowned, struggling to put herself in his place. "They were ghosts, but they were still alive in a way, I guess. And you wiped them out completely. Killing something like that, it can't be easy to deal with. It's natural to feel some guilt over it. That's part of still being human. But Walker and Daeva," she folded her arms, "there was something not right with them. They were hungry for power, wanting to rule over the Ghost Zone and maybe even this world, just like Pariah Dark. You wouldn't let Pariah roam around free if you could stop him, would you?"

"And with each of those fights, I nearly killed myself stopping them." Danny fought with all he had to force Pariah back into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep and to stop Walker and Daeva. As Vlad said, he was completely reckless, expending his energy too much without thinking of the consequences. He could have drained himself before he managed to stop any of them, but only luck allowed him the victory.

"Yes, but you managed to pull through." Ember slapped a hand on his back. "You're stronger than you think. And every ghost sings your praises for those fights. They all missed you at the Christmas truce party last year."

"I was away at college and didn't really feel up to coming home alone for Christmas to deal with my overly proud parents." Danny pinched his nose in memory of the disappointment from his parents when he told them he needed to stay at college and finish up some pressing school work. "Maybe next year. I bet my parents have some portable device that could get me into the Ghost Zone. But getting back," Danny placed a hand to his chin in thought. "Oh! I could have always asked Wulf!" He slapped his forehead. "He could sniff out the right spot to open a portal right into my dorm room. Why didn't I think of that before?"

"Too busy staying focused on your education?" Ember laughed. "I wish I had been like that. Maybe I wouldn't have died so young if I wasn't such a wild child."

Danny pulled up short, catching Ember's arm before they could enter his house. "Do you know how to suppress your energy?"

"Come again?" Ember lifted an eyebrow in confusion.

Danny sighed. "It's not really all that hard. And with this human body," he gestured at Ember's appearance, "it should be a lot easier. At least, it was easier for me. I know my parents aren't always the brightest, but I figure one of these days, they might actually realize that their ghost detecting devices aren't simply malfunctioning when they go off around me. So I've learned to suppress my ghostly energy whenever I come home."

"There's that genius that won the ghost war for us." Ember grinned proudly at him. She closed her eyes and concentrated for several moments. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Her energy still flared brightly to Danny's ghost sense. Then it started to dim slowly, sluggishly, until finally Danny could hardly sense the small flicker of her ghostly energy. "That's not so easy." Ember breathed out with seeming exhaustion.

"It gets a lot easier when you've done a few times."

Ember stood up straight again, placing her hands on her hips. "You do know that if other ghosts learn how to do that, it could be dangerous, right? If the wrong ghosts learn to hide their energies, they could slip right under us and start causing havoc for the human world."

"That's why I don't go around telling everyone about it. I was only telling you because I'm pretty sure I can trust you." They fought with each other in the ghost war, and Ember behaved ever since, even helping in the fight against Daeva when she could have easily fled the scene instead of bringing help. Danny didn't see much reason not to trust her at this point, and he didn't want something happening to her if the ghost alarms started blaring.

"I'm touched." Ember placed a hand on his shoulder then started pushing Danny toward the front door of his house.

When they entered the house, Danny was relieved when they weren't immediately bombarded by one of his parents. They managed to sneak upstairs to his bedroom without being caught. His parents were probably too busy working on some new invention. After shutting the door to his room, Danny turned around as Ember flopped on his bed, supporting herself on her elbows and glancing about the room.

"So why exactly did you decide to come bug me while I was working?" Danny walked over to his closet then paused. "How did you even know where I work anyway?"

Ember laughed. "You know Vlad keeps tabs on you." She grinned impishly at the glower on Danny's face. "He just likes to make sure you're not getting into too much trouble on your own. If he hadn't been keeping tabs on you, you might have been in a lot of trouble when Daeva attacked."

"I know," Danny groaned as he opened his closet. "It's just really annoying when he treats me like I'm five."

"He cares. You're probably the closest thing he'll ever have to a son." Ember held up her hands when Danny snapped around to pin a glare on her. "I'm not saying you should start calling him dad or anything. But, you know, maybe let him have this? Let him dote on you a little. The man's been alone for a long time. If spoiling you like a son makes him happy, is that really so bad? And you're a hero to the Ghost Zone. We all want to be sure you're not off getting killed or something."

"How sweet," Danny grumbled and sighed.

He guessed he could understand Ember's point. Vlad was no longer seeking his mother's affections, and he did show great concern toward Danny. What was the harm in acting nicer toward Vlad? Since they met five years ago, Danny treated the older half ghost fairly poorly, though Vlad wasn't exactly father of the year with how he treated Danny in return. They both hurt each other, physically and verbally. After their experiences in the ghost war and fighting alongside each other toward a common goal, they should be able to put old differences aside.

Danny pulled out some clothes from his closet and turned back around to Ember. "You're not going to stay in here while I change." He frowned at the ghost.

An eyebrow went up as Ember stared flatly at him. "You let your friends dress you up in female clothing. But you have a problem with me just sitting here? Like I'm even interested in seeing you all naked." She laughed when Danny's cheeks started burning red. "You're totally not my type. No offense. But if you want to be shy." She stood and walked toward the door. After pinching his cheek, she left the room.

Danny sighed, rubbing his cheek. It didn't surprise him to hear that he wasn't Ember's type. He always imagined she would be more into the bad boy type, like Johnny 13 or even Skulker. Shaking that thought from his mind, Danny got ready to go to the party that night.


	6. Chapter 6

Paulina nodded as she looked over everything. All the decorations were in place, much to Sam's annoyance for having to be the one to help Paulina setup everything. She knew she could be a bit of a perfectionist, and no one would pay all that much attention to the decorations or painstakingly perfected arrangement of food and beverages, but Paulina couldn't help it. Whenever she threw a party, she needed to make things as perfect as possible, even if her efforts were overlooked by the guests. She spent months of planning and organizing to put together school dances, and she usually received no recognition for her work. But that didn't matter if everyone enjoyed the dance or party. The sudden decision to throw this party didn't leave her with much time to pull it altogether, but with Sam's help, they managed it somehow.

They still had some time before the party was scheduled to begin, so Paulina busied herself with making sure everything was perfect for when guests started arriving. Unfortunately, she now found herself with nothing to do except wait. Sam left a little while ago to go home and get ready for the party. Paulina was already dressed in a glittery black top that only had one strap over her left shoulder and snug leather pants.

"You certainly go all out for these things."

The voice made Paulina turn away from leaning against the bar of the club. She opened her mouth to respond but suddenly found herself voiceless. It wasn't her first time meeting with the famous singer, her idol. They met more than a year ago when Ember played at the school dance before it got interrupted by the ghost that attacked Danny.

"Oh, carry that over to the stage and start setting up," Ember instructed, pointing toward the stage area.

"I never said I was going to be your roadie," Danny complained, though there was no heat behind it. He rolled his blue eyes at the ghost as he carried some of the band's equipment over to the stage.

"You came here together?" Paulina questioned, finding her voice. "That was supposed to be a surprise!" She sighed, disappointed that the whole mystery of the band playing at the party was ruined.

"Was that supposed to be a surprise?" Ember winced. "Sorry. I didn't realize. It's just been a while since I saw him," she pointed a thumb toward Danny. "I thought I'd pop over and harass him before the party. And who ever thought I would want to see him again?" Ember laughed, shaking her head as she walked over to join Paulina by the bar. "I thought he was such a stick in the mud the first time we met."

Paulina folded her arms, her eyes narrowing somewhat at the ghostly singer. "You put him under a love spell that made him all obsessed with Sam?"

Ember looked away, rubbing at the back of her neck. "Ah, so you heard about that, huh?"

"And you made Sam kiss Dash?" Paulina's mouth pursed as her gaze darkened. "Dash, who Danny is head over heels for now."

"Well, they didn't like each back then," Ember tried to reason. In the next moment, a wicked grin spread onto her face. "Now just imagine if Dash had been on that roof instead of Sam, and both he and Danny were hit with that love song." An evil twinkle sparked in her eyes.

Paulina thought about it, amused at forcing Dash to love Danny back. Then she shook her head, erasing the thought from her mind. "It wouldn't have worked in the end. That was just fabricated emotions. You can't just put a spell on Dash to make him love Danny back. Dash needs to come to the realization that he loves Danny on his own." She nodded firmly.

"You think the block head actually likes Danny back?" Ember's brow rose in surprise. Her voice was filled with skepticism. She didn't believe that Dash would ever love Danny in return.

Paulina frowned even more. "He's just being a total idiot. He's completely blind if he can't realize he loves Danny."

"I hope you're not planning something reckless that might backfire horribly on you."

"I couldn't even if I wanted to. Dash won't talk to me." Paulina scowled at that fact. What was wrong with the men in life? Dash cut her out. Kwan was keeping secrets. Danny was horribly depressed and trying to seek comfort with someone other than Dash. Tucker was in denial about wanting to date Sam. Paulina resisted the urge to gather all four of them and smack them senseless for being idiots.

"What exactly are you two talking about?" Danny questioned as he walked over to join them. The rest of Ember's band arrived to set up all their equipment, leaving Danny with nothing else to do.

Paulina glanced over, appraising the tight fit of his jeans and the sleeveless topped that hugged his body. If the men at this party didn't take notice of Danny, they were all blind idiots. "Oh, not much," she said, grinning.

Danny raised an eyebrow at them as he frowned in suspicion. "I'm just going to pretend like I don't think you two were plotting something."

"Always the doubter," Ember said with an exaggerated tired sigh. "I'm wounded. Here I thought we were all friends, and you actually don't trust us. Would we _ever_ plot something against our dear friend?" She turned to Paulina for an answer.

"Oh, of course not." Paulina nodded then frowned disapprovingly at Danny. "You should really be more trusting of your friends, Danny."

"I'm totally trusting," Danny argued.

"Yeah, so trusting he let one of his best friends dress him drag," Tucker said as he entered the club. A mad grin broke across his face when he saw Danny blushing furiously.

"Why does no one want to forget about that?" Danny groaned and buried his face in his folded arms on the counter of the bar. "I'm forever going to be that guy that dressed in drag."

"You know, we only tease you about it because you make it so easy to provoke a reaction," Ember pointed out as she reached around Paulina to poke Danny in the side. She didn't seem to take notice of the way Paulina gulped nervously as she leaned on the other woman.

"Yeah, I mean, you don't see us teasing Abner, and he apparently dresses in drag a lot," Tucker added.

"And it's not like it's that bad of a thing," Paulina said as Ember pulled away from her with a quick comment about having to run sound checks before everyone arrived. "You did make a really pretty girl."

"I'm not sure whether I should be flattered or mortified by that," Danny mumbled into his arms.

"What did you guys do to him?" Sam asked when she arrived to see Danny bent over the counter of the bar.

Paulina grinned. "Oh, just the usual teasing. You would think after a year he would get over his embarrassment of dressing in drag."

Sam rolled her violet eyes then walked over and slapped her hands down on top of Danny's shoulders. "I don't know why you find it so humiliating," she said as she shook him. "You looked great. Even," she shot a look at Paulina, "in that pink dress."

"I so don't envy you." Tucker tried but couldn't stop his laughter at the teasing Danny had to endure.

Danny lifted his head and glanced at Paulina. "Is Kwan coming tonight?"

With a miserably sigh, Paulina shook her head. "No, he said he couldn't get off work." She frowned, remembering that conversation. She begged him to come, but he refused with that weak excuse. Why was Kwan working so much? It was summer! They should have some time off to enjoy themselves before having to return to college. There was also still the fact that Kwan never told his parents about being home for the summer. She didn't even know where Kwan was staying since it obviously wasn't with his parents.

"Speaking of workaholics," Sam said, turning a narrow eyed glare on Tucker. "Why are you working so much? You said you weren't even sure you could make it tonight because of work."

"You know, if I was planning something, then I probably want it to be a surprise." Tucker folded his arms. "And constantly trying to weasel the information out of me will only ruin that."

"Oh, just tell us," Sam demanded with a stamp of frustration.

Tucker frowned but sighed. "Humpty Dumpty is supposed to make a tour stop here near the end of summer. I was trying to save up enough money to surprise you all with tickets."

"If you needed the money, I could have loaned you some," Sam offered.

"No!" The force of Tucker's rejection surprised them all. "It was," he sighed. "They're playing on your birthday. I wanted to get the tickets myself as a birthday present for you."

"Oh." Sam blinked then her eyes widened with surprise. "Oh!" She blushed. "I'm sorry I pressed you about it, but you were being so damn secretive."

Behind Sam's back, Danny and Paulina shared a knowing grin. Tucker clearly wanted to impress Sam with the gift of tickets to one of their favorite bands. Paulina knew plenty of guys that would get tickets to see a band with her as a date. Tucker was merely using the excuse of inviting all of them along to prove it wasn't a date, though both she and Danny knew that he wanted it to be a date.

"Oh! Looks like people are arriving," Paulina said gleefully as she clapped her hands together. Some of the guests she invited started entering the club, and she hurried over to greet them like a good hostess. With a friendly smile, she welcomed each guest that arrived. By the time the last person came, her face hurt from smiling so much.

Music started playing, and Paulina glanced toward the stage as Ember began singing. She smiled as she watched the ghost belting out one of her latest songs. Then she went in search of her friends, Danny in particular, to see how they were doing. Sam and Tucker were dancing amid the crowd, pretending that they weren't dancing as a couple. Paulina rolled her eyes at that. When she found him, Danny was speaking to some redhead who was an inch or two taller with some bulk to his broad shoulders. Danny blushed lightly as the man leaned over him, one hand placed close to Danny's head against the wall. Paulina smiled sadly. At least Danny seemed to be enjoying himself. Part of her wanted to go over there and break them up, for Dash, but Paulina resisted that selfishness. Danny deserved to find someone, and Paulina didn't want to stand in his way.

"Great party, Paulina," a man said as he clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks." Paulina smiled, turning toward him. She only vaguely recognized him from when she greeted people upon arrival and guessed that he was one of the people that Sam invited. He was a half a head tall than she was, and he had lean muscles under the loose black shirt that he wore. "I don't think I know your name."

"It's Andrew." He smiled, and it made him look charming. Reaching up, he ran a hand through his short, dark locks. "I always wanted to say hi to you in high school, but," he shrugged with a sheepish look, "I always figured you were out of my league. I mean, I wasn't exactly in the same popular circle as you."

"I was pretty horrible in high school, wasn't I?" Paulina frowned, hugging her arms around her body. Her eyes darted over to where Danny was still chatting with that redhead. If she was nicer back then, maybe she would have found a great guy like Danny to date. Instead she only seemed to attract jerks.

"I wouldn't have said so." Andrew's head was bowed somewhat, and his brown eyes flicked up toward Paulina. "I always thought you were kind of perfect."

Paulina shook her head, some of her long ebony hair slipping past one shoulder. "I'm hardly perfect," she mumbled, flattered that anyone would still say something like that to her. She knew she had flaws, though most people in high school overlooked them because she was so popular. "Have you decided on what you're going to major in?"

Andrew stared at her then laughed. "I thought you would be more interested in dancing." He took one of her hands, tugging her toward the mob of dancing party goers.

Paulina usually didn't mind agreeing to a dance, but she pulled her hand free. "I don't really feel like dancing right now." Her gaze darted toward Sam and Tucker who were enjoying some refreshments at the moment. Then she searched out Danny again. He moved away from the redhead at some point and made his way through the crowd.

"Why do you keep looking at that loser?" Andrew demanded after following her gaze.

Paulina frowned as she snapped her head around toward him again. "Danny is _not_ a loser." She glared when Andrew snorted like her statement was funny or worth scoffing at. "Danny is a great guy."

"He's a freak that likes dressing up like a girl." Andrew's face wrinkled in disgust.

Angry at that comment, Paulina's eyes narrowed darkly. Her fist slammed into his gut. She ignored his gasping as she turned and walked away from him. Why was it so hard for her to find a decent man?

"Sorry, guys," Ember said from the stage. "I'll be taking a small break." Some partygoers groaned in disappointment as Ember hopped off the small stage. The band remained behind, continuing to fill the club with music.

Paulina frowned as her gaze tracked Ember through the crowd toward the exit of the club. Her brow furrowed as she wondered where the singer was going. Weaving her way through the crowd, Paulina followed Ember outside the club. "What's going on?" she asked when they were alone. She glanced past the singer to realize they weren't as alone as she thought. Danny stood a few feet before them. His clothes were still the same as what he wore to the club, but his hair was white like when he changed to Danny Phantom. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," Ember confessed, worry creeping into her voice. "He seemed a bit off when he was heading for the exit, so I came to check on him."

"What do you mean a bit off?" Paulina frowned at Danny. Clearly something wasn't quite right if the man was standing out here in his ghost form. But why didn't his clothes change to the usual black and white jumpsuit?

"Not again," Danny groaned, turning halfway toward them as he rubbed at his face. "This is seriously getting annoying. Can't they just take the hint?" He tilted his head up toward the sky. "You can keep summoning me all you like, but I'm ignoring you."

"Danny," Paulina said, stepping closer toward her friend. She reached out toward him but hesitated when Danny snapped his head around toward them, green eyes flashing. There was a look like he only just realized there were other people around him. "Danny, what's going on?"

"This is so not how things were supposed to go," Danny muttered with a sigh. He rolled his eyes toward the sky, glaring at the twinkling stars above them. "Don't you get it yet? I'm done with your shit."

Ember stepped past Paulina and grabbed hold of Danny's shoulder. "Snap out of it, dipstick," she ordered as she shook him. "Who are you even shouting at?"

Danny folded his arms as he closed his eyes. Paulina watched the two of them with worry. Danny was acting weird, and it scared her. After a moment, with his brow knitted in concentration, his hair darkened. When he opened his eyes, Danny blinked bright blue eyes. He stumbled in disorientation, but Ember held onto him, steadying him.

"Why do I have such a headache?" Danny rubbed at his forehead, pain scrunching up his face.

"Danny, what just happened?" Paulina asked with a worried frown.

Danny lifted his head and stared at the two women. "What?" he asked dumbly. "And what are we doing outside?"

"You don't remember what just happened?" Ember lifted an eyebrow, but concern made her frown.

"I remember ditching that Alan guy after he tried groping me," Danny answered, scratching at his head in thought. "After that," he shrugged, "I don't know. Did something happen?"

Paulina shared a worried look with Ember. "Uh, you kind of went ghost and started yelling at the sky."

The news shook Danny, staring in stunned silence at them. "That's," he swallowed nervously, "a bit disconcerting. That's never happened before."

"Maybe we should go have a talk with Vlad," Ember suggested.

"But you were playing-"

"It's fine," Paulina cut in with a smile. "I'll just tell them something came up. The band's still there, so it's not like we won't have music."

"I'm sorry about ruining-"

Paulina shook her head. "You didn't ruin anything. Besides, if something serious is going on with you, I'd rather you get that checked on." She frowned at him, the worry returning to her emerald eyes. "I don't want something bad happening to you."

Danny nodded jerkily then glanced to Ember. "I guess we better go find Vlad."

Paulina waved as Danny and Ember headed off down the street. She waited there for several moments as she watched them. When they were out of sight, Paulina sighed, hugging her arms about her body. Tonight was meant to be fun for them all, even if she secretly hoped Danny wouldn't find someone. Now she would be worrying the rest of the night about what happened to Danny. Turning back to the club, she went to search for Sam and Tucker to inform them about she witnessed with Danny.


	7. Chapter 7

"Stop looking at me like that," Danny grumbled, glaring at Ember when he caught her glancing his way again. "I know whatever just happened is something to worry about, but let's leave the worrying until _after_ we talk to Vlad. Okay?" The little blackout had him more than a little freaked out. Danny couldn't remember ever suffering from a similar blackout.

"Sorry," Ember mumbled as she turned down one street. "I'm just concerned. Even Paulina was a little freaked out by that whole little scene."

"Where are you going?" Danny halted. "My house is the other way." He pointed the opposite way down the street that Ember turned.

"But Vlad's place is this way." Ember continued walking, missing the puzzled and shocked expression playing across Danny's face.

"Vlad's place?" Danny shouted as he hurried to catch up with the singer. "What do you mean Vlad's place? Why does he have a place? Here, to be exact. Why isn't he back in Wisconsin? You know, in his huge castle?"

"You do remember that he owns a company here, right?" Ember smirked at Danny's flustered embarrassment. Sometimes, he did forget that Vlad owned Axion Labs. "So he got a place here for whenever he has to come down here to check on it. Luckily, he's in the middle of evaluations on Axion Labs, so he's in town."

"So it's not just about keeping an eye on me?" Danny glowered as he folded his arms. He appreciated Vlad's help, but he still hated feeling like a child constantly under supervision. At least the fact that Vlad was in town meant that they wouldn't have to sneak down into his parents' laboratory to access the Ghost Portal. Or more importantly, they wouldn't have to find some excuse to get his parents out of the laboratory if they were busy on some project.

"He wouldn't have to keep an eye on you if you stopped getting yourself into trouble."

"Hey! I haven't gotten into trouble in more than a year now," Danny argued, frowning.

"And that's all thanks to Vlad." Ember reached over and threw an arm around his shoulders. "He kept the rogue ghosts from attacking you. You're the great hero of the Ghost Zone. Naturally, that puts a target on your back."

"Great. That makes me feel better." Danny rubbed tiredly at his face. Why couldn't he just have a normal life? He simply wanted to survive college, get a good job, and maybe find someone to spend his life with. All of which sounded like an impossible dream when he constantly got pulled into ghost trouble. He hoped the blackout would turn out of be nothing. Maybe he was simply exhausted and needed to rest.

"You know, you 're not alone in trying to keep peace within the human world and the Ghost Zone." Ember pressed the doorbell of the house before them. It was more like a mansion with its grand size, and Danny didn't know why Vlad needed such a large home for only himself when he didn't spend that much time in Amity Park.

"I know," Danny said with a sigh. "You all wouldn't have banded together to fight with me if you didn't want peace in the Ghost Zone. Or at least, you didn't want Warden Walker ruling over you."

"The guy was a nightmare." Ember shuddered at the mere mention of Walker.

"Hey, don't forget. I was trapped in that prison too." Danny hugged his arms around his body, remembering his time trapped within Walker's prison. It wasn't one of his most pleasant memories, and he was lucky that he could rally the support of the other prisoners to stage a prison break. He was also lucky that they fought to free him when he was captured by Walker during the war. That was a far less pleasant memory than simply being a prisoner. "Thanks," he mumbled, knowing that he could never say it enough to the ghosts that freed him.

Ember rolled her eyes as she punched him in the arm. "You would have risked your life to save us too." She frowned, a more serious expression flitting across her face as she glanced at him. "And you pretty much have on more than one occasion."

"Because I'm an idiot, as Vlad would tell you."

"If you're tell me that you've been an idiot again," Vlad said as he opened the door, "then I will be greatly disappointed in you." He took note of Ember's presence and lifted an eyebrow at her. "I thought you were performing tonight."

"Something came up," Ember explained, ushering Danny into the house. "We don't know how important this is, but we figured it best to come to you. Best not to ignore the signs and have it turn out to be something horrible later on." She shrugged, and Danny could see the worry was back in her eyes.

"What happened this time?" Vlad folded his arms as he looked Danny over. "I see no injuries. I assume, at least, there wasn't a fight of some sort."

Danny sighed and scratched a hand through his hair. "I don't really know. Things were going fine at the party. I was chatting with this one guy." He snapped a glare at Vlad when he caught a smirk on the older half ghost's face. "He started getting a little too friendly for my tastes so I walked away."

Vlad's gaze turned dark as he glanced between Danny and Ember. "He didn't try-"

"No!" Danny snapped, flushing a bright red. "I mean, he did try putting his hands all over me, but that's when I left him. He didn't follow after me, but," he frowned, dropping his gaze as he replayed his memories. "I was making my way through the crowd, but then there's this blank until I found myself outside with Paulina and Ember." He glanced at the singer, hoping for more of an explanation.

"You blacked out for a while?" Vlad frowned severely at that news.

"It wasn't for very long," Ember offered weakly. "I noticed something off with him and followed him immediately outside. He changed into a ghost." Her worried eyes met Danny's blue eyes, and it didn't send any comfort to him. "It wasn't like normal though. There were no rings of light, and his clothes didn't change. Then he was shouting at the sky."

"Yeah, that whole part is still kind of scary to me," Danny mumbled, arms hugging about his body.

The news only served to make Vlad's concern worse. "What sort of things was he yelling?"

"Something about this wasn't how things were supposed to go." Ember frowned as she tried to recall all of what she heard. "Something about someone not taking the hint. That they could summon him all they want but he wasn't listening. He said he was done with their shit."

"I have no idea about any of that," Danny added quickly. He didn't have any clue what any of that might mean, or who he was supposedly yelling at. Why would have even blackout like that? Paulina and Sam didn't serve anything alcoholic at the party, and he was fairly certain he didn't drink anything that someone could have drugged. The whole thing confused him.

"I can't think of an explanation for this," Vlad admitted with a hand to his chin and an expression of deep thought on his face. "He didn't mention any names while he was shouting?"

Ember shook her head. "It was all fairly vague."

Vlad nodded, but that answer wasn't what he hoped to hear. "I think it best if we ran some tests on you. I just want to make certain that there hasn't been any," his mouth pursed for a moment, "changes since last year. It's possible that using such raw power in your attacks against ghosts like Pariah, Walker, and Daeva, has had some effect on you. It may have even put you in an unstable condition that we couldn't predict. This blackout you suffered may simply be the first warning step to something worse. Have you had any blackouts prior to this one?"

Danny shook his head. "This is the first one I've experienced."

"Can we be certain of that?" Ember frowned when both half ghosts turned to look at her. "If he doesn't have any idea what happened during this blackout, how do we know he didn't have one before? He could have blacked out, gone off to do something, and returned without any idea that it happened. You did mention something about being summoned."

"Yeah, see, that just makes this whole thing even more terrifying for me." Danny swallowed thickly, not wanting to think about the possibility of prior blackouts. One blackout was worrisome enough already without there being several more that he wasn't even aware of having.

"All the more reason to run tests," Vlad said as he placed his hands on Danny's shoulders. "If we find out what's causing the blackouts, maybe we can stop them before something worse happens." He guided Danny through his house toward his laboratory. Ember followed after them.

When they reached the laboratory, Danny striped off his shirt. "I really hate doing this," he muttered as he lay back on the examining table. The metal was cold against his skin, and staring up at the bright light above him only served to give him a mild panic attack when he thought of all the horrible things that certain people might do if they ever had him strapped down to a table like this.

"I know this isn't very comfortable for you, Daniel." Vlad's head appeared above him, blocking out some of the light. His face was darker, almost silhouetted by the light, but Danny could still see the concern in his eyes. "But I'm doing this to help."

Danny winced, feeling pressure against his side. "Yeah, help," he grumbled as he closed his eyes. He knew Vlad only wanted to make sure that he wasn't about to dissolve like some poorly created clone. But he still hated all the poking and prodding and monitoring that went into checking his condition.

"I'm aware how much you hate this," Vlad said as he drew some of Danny's blood. "But just remember that I'm not going to cut you open to see how you tick like some other people that might strap you down." There was that look in Vlad's eyes that told Danny he didn't simply mean the Guys in White. Danny knew exactly what Vlad meant with his statement, but it was always something that he tried not think about.

"What if all these tests tell us nothing?" Ember asked, drawing both half ghosts' attentions to her. She twisted Danny's shirt in her hands as she frowned at them. "What if all the tests tell you is that there's nothing wrong with Danny physically? What if they don't explain why he had that blackout?"

"Then we'll figure out something else to help us understand why Daniel would have a blackout like that," Vlad answered, determination in his voice. It only served to offer a very small amount of comfort to Danny. Ember's questions filled his mind with bad thoughts about what could be happening to him. When he was finished with all the usual tests, Vlad walked over to one of the computers in his laboratory to analyze the data.

"So," Ember said as she leaned against the table, "you seemed like you were sort of into that guy at the start."

Danny sighed, turning his head to stare at her. "He was all right. I mean, we kind of clicked until he thought he could just grab at me." With a frown, he sat up, drawing his knees to his chest. "I'm pathetic, aren't I? Some guy is interested in me, but I'm still stuck on the guy that pretty much hates me now."

"I was hung up on a guy like that too." Ember reached over and ruffled Danny's hair. "It's only natural that it's difficult to move on when you fall so hard for a guy. Just don't let it drive to doing something completely stupid." She sighed at the miserable look on Danny's face. "I know you think rushing into a relationship with someone else will somehow help you get over him. But you just have to give yourself the time to move on. Rushing yourself will only hurt yourself more in the long run."

"I just hate feeling like there's this gaping hole in my heart," Danny mumbled with his chin resting on his knees.

"If you two are to continue with this girl talk, I would ask that you leave my lab," Vlad stated grumpily with his gaze trained upon the computer screen.

"Maybe we should try to find someone for him," Ember said in a not very quiet whisper as she pointed a thumb at Vlad. A wicked grin spread onto her face.

"If he wasn't so obsessed with my mom," Danny pointed out, shaking his head.

"I'm not obsessed with Maddie," Vlad snapped. This time, he turned to glare at the other two. "When exactly was the last time I made some scheme to steal your mother?"

Danny opened his mouth to answer when he blinked. "Actually, it has been a while," he mumbled thoughtfully. Even a little before the whole war broke out in the Ghost Zone, Vlad didn't make a play for Maddie or plot to kill of Jack. Danny stared at Vlad with a bit of wonder in his bright blue eyes. "What happened?"

Vlad shrugged as he turned back to the computer. "I came to the realization that I should put foolish obsessions behind me. There were more important matters to take up my time, like finding out about Walker's plot and gathering allies to fight against him."

Danny nodded in understanding. They both put aside parts of their lives to fight in that war. He took his shirt back from Ember then pulled it on again. "So what's the verdict on the tests?"

"It takes more time than that to analyze everything, Daniel," Vlad replied in a strained tone, like he was resisting the urge to yell at the young half ghost for his impatience. "But so far, I'm not seeing anything life threatening. Give me a few days to run through all the data."

"Right." Danny climbed off the examination table. "Well, you have my number. If it's anything serious, you can call me." He turned to Ember. "Maybe you can make it back before the party ends."

"I think the band can manage the rest of the night without me." Ember walked with Danny out of the laboratory.

"I don't think you need to keep watch over me anymore." Danny hoped anyway. There was that tickling fear that he might have another blackout. What if it happened in front of his parents and he revealed his identity as a half ghost? The thought made him shiver with fear.

Ember gave him a little shove. "You're not all that bad to hang out with, dipstick." She wore a teasing smile.

Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Hey!" He grinned widely as an idea came to him. "If you're still free, you should join us when we take a trip to the beach."

"I'll think about it." Ember opened the door when they reached the front hall of the house. "I can't even remember the last time I went to the beach. You know, being dead and all doesn't give me much reason to think about going to the beach."

"Well, let us know." Danny grinned. "I'm sure Paulina would be ecstatic to know that her favorite singer will be coming along." With a wave, he turned to walk away from Vlad's home. Five years ago, he never would have imagined wanting to invite a ghost along to the beach. He also wouldn't have thought that he would be going to the beach with Paulina or that he wouldn't care all that much about seeing her in a bikini. Danny shook his head as he walked home. So much changed for him ever since the accident that caused him to have ghost powers. Sighing, he stared up at the night sky. He wished he could at least talk to Dash, explain things to the other man, even if they didn't get back together. But that was impossible while Dash remained unreachable.


	8. Chapter 8

"Why did we even come to the beach if you girls are just going to camp out under that thing?" Tucker asked, gesturing with one arm at the almost tent of an umbrella protecting Sam and Ember from the sun.

"Fair skin," Sam explained as he reclined on her elbows. "We burn easily."

"It took me ages to learn how to create this corporeal form," Ember added, tying back the long black hair she used when she was trying to keep a low profile from fans. "I don't want to ruin it with a terrible sunburn."

"Someone want to put lotion on by back?" Paulina held out the bottle of sun tan lotion. She managed to rub the lotion over every inch of exposed flesh except for her back. When Tucker started to offer, he received a sandal to his face. Sam gazed out over the beach, playing innocent. Ember took the bottle from Paulina's hand.

"If I hadn't started liking guys, this would be one of those moments I'd dream about," Danny said, grinning as he watched Ember rubbing the lotion over Paulina's back. He ducked as a second sandal was thrown in his direction. Beside him, Tucker laughed until Danny rammed an elbow in his ribs. "So you three are just going to hang out here sunbathing the whole time?"

"I'm going to be on the road touring soon," Ember said as she finished rubbing the lotion on Paulina's back. "I think I deserve the time to just kick back and relax. I thought that's what this whole thing was about." She lay back on her towel and settled comfortably upon it.

"So what did you find out with Vlad?" Paulina set out her towel in the sun because unlike Ember and Sam, she wanted to get a good sun tan and didn't burn as easily.

"He didn't find anything wrong with me," Danny answered with a frown. He folded his arms over his bare chest. "All those tests, and nothing came up different. We don't have any explanation about why I would suddenly have a blackout like that."

"What about the stuff he yelled?" Tucker crouched down by the basket the women brought with them to see if there were any decent snacks in it. "Maybe there's a clue in there if you can remember exactly what he said." Three pairs of eyes turned toward Paulina and Ember. They were the only ones present when Danny started yelling randomly at the sky.

"Didn't I already explain all that before?" Ember questioned grumpily.

"Well, he did say not again," Paulina said, frowning as she recalled the night of the party. "I guess that could mean that this wasn't the first time this happened."

"That's not what I want to hear." Danny moaned, rubbing his face with his hands. He was still hoping that it was only a onetime thing. Now he wondered if he experienced another blackout after that night. What caused them? Why were they happening to him? Vlad didn't have any reasonable explanation for why it was happening to him.

"You might not want to hear it, but this could be important, Danny," Sam pointed out, looking as concerned as everyone else.

"I thought this was supposed to be a fun hangout thing," Danny grumbled, even if he understood the reason to be concerned. He didn't like this new development any better than the others did. With a frown, he looked back to Paulina and Ember. "Anything else that might be important? Other than the fact that I'm apparently ignoring whoever keeps summoning me. Whatever that means." His brow furrowed as he thought about that point. Who would be summoning him? And why would it make him blackout like that?

"Oh!" Sam sat up suddenly, her exclamation making everyone jump in surprise. "What if it's Pariah Dark?"

"The Ghost King?" Ember raised an eyebrow in skepticism.

"Why would Pariah Dark be summoning me?"

"You locked him back in the Sarcophagus," Tucker reminded, picking up on Sam's train of thought. "Maybe that gave you like some sort of connection to him, and now he's using that to try to get you to come let him out again."

"I think that's a little farfetched." But the thought sent a chill down Danny's spine. What if it _was_ Pariah Dark? What if he couldn't resist the summons for that much longer? Danny felt sick at the idea that Pariah Dark might have some kind of control over him.

"What's with all the grim expressions?"

"Kwan!" Paulina leaped up from where she lay and latched her arms around the man's neck. "Where have you been? I almost thought you wouldn't come today."

Kwan laughed. "I managed to get some time off from work." His eyes swept over the group of friends gathered at the beach. "So really, what did I miss? You all look like the world's about to end. Or some massive ghost invasion is about to take place."

"We're not really sure," Tucker answered before cramming a fistful of chips into his mouth.

When Kwan gave them all a confused look, Paulina launched into the tale of what happened at her party. "So now we're trying to figure out what exactly is going on with Danny."

"Hm, sounds pretty serious." Kwan frowned at the new information. "But if it was Pariah Dark and he had this connection with you, why did he wait until now to try getting you to release him? That was five years ago, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but if I've been blacking out even before the party, who knows how long it's been happening?" Danny shuddered. "I could have been doing this for the past five years, and this just happens to be the first time anyone's caught me."

"I still think that would be a long shot," Kwan said, shaking his head.

"Okay then, smart guy," Ember said, leaning back on her hands. "What do you think might be causing Danny's blackouts?"

Kwan shrugged, but his expression was thoughtful as his brow knitted. "Maybe it has something to do with the fight against that ghost that attacked at the dance. Danny did use up a lot of power while he was fighting."

"Vlad already ran a bunch of tests on me. There was nothing out of the ordinary. I'm not in any sort of unstable condition." But a tickling thought wondered if maybe there was something wrong with him. Danny trusted Vlad to do everything possible to ensure that he was okay. But what if there was something Vlad didn't check or was overlooking to explain why Danny was have blackouts? He scratched a hand through his hair, wishing he had something to go on with this weird occurrence.

"You didn't bring any drinks?" Tucker dug around in the basket but came up empty handed for something to drink after munching on the salty chips.

"I'll go get some," Danny offered, glad for the excuse to get away from the conversation for a while. 

"I'll come with you." Kwan walked with Danny toward the stand up the beach where they were selling refreshments. "So some guy was getting friendly with you at the party?" A smirk snuck onto Kwan's face when they were some distance from their friends. It widened at the flush of color on Danny's face.

"Ember already told me that trying to rush into a new relationship was a mistake," Danny mumbled with gaze cast down to the sand beneath their feet. He flicked his eyes toward Kwan after a moment of silence. "So what are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything," Kwan argued much too quickly, jumping slightly at the question.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Kwan, you're bad at lying. Besides, Paulina already told us that you aren't staying with your parents, and they didn't know anything about you being back in town. Now spill. What's going on?"

With a sigh, Kwan raked a hand through his short dark locks. His body seemed to deflate as his shoulders sagged. "I didn't really plan on telling all of you." He frowned, hesitating a moment longer. "I never went to medical school."

"What?" Danny gaped at him in shock. "What do you mean he didn't go to medical school? You got accepted and everything. What were you doing all year if you didn't go to medical school?"

Kwan winced at his reaction, and Danny realized that was probably what the other man was trying to avoid. "Medical school was my parents' dream for me, but I never really had any interest in it. So I stayed here. Took some courses at a local college and got some jobs. I haven't said anything to my parents because they would completely cut me off from my college funds." He shrugged, refusing to look at Danny like he feared how the other man would react.

"That's great that you're doing what you want to do," Danny said, patting Kwan on his shoulder. "If you're unhappy with becoming a doctor, you shouldn't be forced into it."

Kwan laughed. "Try telling that to my parents." He shook his head as they reached the drink stand. They ordered a few sodas and waters for the group. After paying for the drinks, they carried them back to where their group was set up. "I wonder if that Vlad guy might have missed something when he ran those tests on you," Kwan said offhandedly, his voice low so that only Danny could hear him.

"What are you thinking?" Danny eyed the taller man, feeling a little wary at his comment.

"I'm not entirely sure, honestly. It's just that from what you all told me, I feel like there's something we're all missing."

"Well, if you want to discuss theories with Vlad, I can tell you where he's living. I think he's planning to hanging around here until this whole blackout situation is cleared up." Danny still couldn't get over the change in personality from Vlad. Five years ago, he never would have imagined that Vlad would care so much about him. Vlad didn't even have any scheming plots to explain his concern for Danny's health.

"Maybe I-" Kwan halted with Danny right beside him when a woman suddenly appeared before them.

Danny lifted an eyebrow at the woman. Her auburn hair was drawn up in a ponytail. Her body was nicely curved, and the crimson bikini looked very fitting on her. Her emerald eyes remained focused on Kwan. "Uh, hi," Danny broke the silence that fell awkwardly over them. He glanced toward Kwan. "Do you know her?"

"Well, I-"

"He helped me home a while ago," the woman cut in, smiling. "I was hoping I'd get to see you again." She stepped closer to Kwan. "I owe you for helping me."

"You really don't need to give me anything." Kwan moved to step around her, but the woman cut off his path.

"Usually when someone does something to help me, they expect," the woman ran a finger down the well defined muscles of Kwan's torso to the waistline of his swim trunks, "a favor in return." She smiled suggestively up to him.

"I'm not like that." Kwan swallowed thickly, and Danny could clearly tell that he was uncomfortable with the woman's advances. "I was just trying to do the right thing."

"You know," Danny said, putting himself between them. He didn't miss the scowl from the woman. "I don't think we caught your name."

She paused to give Danny a once over, her eyes raking down his body before snapping back up to his face. "Simone Lancaster. My family is very rich." She glanced past Danny to Kwan. "And when someone does something nice for me, I like to repay them. I don't like feeling like I owe someone something."

"I'm pretty sure he's not interested," Danny said, frowning at the woman. "And I'm pretty sure he's not looking for sex from you just because he was being his usual nice guy self."

Simone blinked at him then laughed. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She flushed as she looked toward Kwan again. "I'm just so used to that being one of the things guys want in return."

"You have clearly been meeting the wrong guys."

"One of the problems with being rich." Simone shrugged, a sad look passing through her emerald eyes. "It's hard to really meet anyone nice when all they're looking for is my money or my body." She glanced between them, something expectant in her gaze.

Kwan leaned in so that his mouth was near Danny's ear. "Maybe it wouldn't be that bad to invite her to join us," he suggested with some hesitancy and doubt. "It'll give the girls another person to chat with."

"If you're all right with it." Danny shrugged. He wasn't the one that Simone was trying to proposition only moments ago.

"You can join us if you like," Kwan told Simone as he started walking again toward their friends. Simone eagerly walked beside him with a bright smile on her face.

Danny frowned as he followed them. He didn't like the way the woman latched onto Kwan's arm or the way Kwan seemed very uncomfortable with Simone's closeness. When they reached their friends, Tucker snatched one of the water bottles and greedily gulped down half a bottle to quench his thirst.

"Who's that?" Ember questioned, frowning at the woman that arrived with Kwan.

"Simone Lancaster."

"What?" Paulina sat up quickly, gaping at the woman. She scowled when everyone gave her confused looks. "She's only, like, the biggest name in fashion here in Amity Park. And her father owns, like, every hotel in the area plus runs a bunch of companies. Lancaster is, like, the most famous name in town." She sighed in exasperation when no one seemed to understand the importance of the auburn haired woman. "But what are you doing here with us?"

Simone shrugged as she sat down in the shade of the umbrella with Sam and Ember. "I came to relax at the beach and," she grinned at Kwan, "incidentally ran into my knight in shining armor."

Kwan sighed as he sat down next to Paulina. "It really wasn't all that special. I simply walked her home one night."

"Yes, but not many would do that for me out of the kindness of their hearts." Simone smiled brightly again, her gaze only darting briefly toward Danny before settling back on Kwan.

"Kwan's just a big teddy bear," Paulina teased as she poked her friend in the side.

Danny sat down next to Tucker as food and drinks were passed out for all to enjoy. With an outsider in the group now, it was impossible for them to continue discussing the blackout incident. Danny was partially relieved about that, only because he felt like the topic was being talked to death with little progress.

The rest of the afternoon passed with them all enjoying their time at the beach. Sam, Ember, Paulina, and Simone spent their time laying on towels and chatting about the usual girl stuff. Paulina had thousands of questions for Simone regarding fashion, and Danny was pretty certain he caught a look of annoyance from Ember. Danny, Tucker, and Kwan challenged another team of three in a game of beach volleyball. Only Kwan was pretty good at the game while Danny and Tucker merely made fools of themselves. But they had fun regardless since their opponents weren't exactly superstars in the sport either.

By late afternoon, they decided to call it a day. Simone offered to drive them all home in her car, but Paulina drove them all to the beach, except for Kwan who arrived late. The woman parted ways with them in disappointment, but she put on a smile as she waved goodbye to them. After gathering up all their things, they headed toward Paulina's car.

Danny hung back, walking alongside Ember. "Was that jealousy I saw?" he asked her quietly as he grinned.

"What are you talking about, dipstick?" Ember scowled, arms folding.

"As soon as Paulina turned all her attention on Simone, you looked like you were ready to set fire to something."

"Or someone," Ember muttered darkly. Then she shook her head, her expression clearing. "I don't like the way that Simone woman kept looking at Kwan. Or you for that matter."

"I'm pretty sure she wanted to chomp my head off when I stepped between her and Kwan." Danny laughed with an unsettling feeling in his gut. "But I wouldn't read too much in Paulina showing some interest in the woman. Paulina lives for fashion, so it's not surprising that she'll be all excited about meeting some big name in fashion." He stopped walking and grabbed hold of Ember's arm. "If you're interested, I think you should go for it."

"What, me and Paulina?" Ember snorted, turning her head away. "What would Paulina want with me? I'm just a ghost, and she knows that."

"So that means you don't get happiness?" Danny demanded, anger rising in him. "Are you saying I shouldn't find love either because I'm half ghost?"

Ember snapped her head back around, her mouth hanging open like she realized what her statement must have sounded like to him. "That's not what I meant! I totally want you to find someone." She sighed and rubbed at one temple. "Heck, I even want that sourpuss Vlad to find someone, though I doubt he'll ever give anyone a chance. But why would Paulina want to be with me when she has a slew of living people that she could choose from?"

"Death doesn't have to stop love. You'll never know what she really feels if you never try. And do you really want to join me in the land of misery and heartbreak?"

Ember sighed. "Been there, done that." She frowned at him then rolled her eyes. "I hate you sometimes." She threw her arm around his shoulder and directed him toward Paulina's car.


	9. Chapter 9

"Thanks for covering for me," Henry said as he patted Danny on the back.

"No problem." Danny grinned as he let the older man take over the register. "Was everything all right with Meredith?"

Henry chuckled. "Yeah, the big emergency was just that the toilet was overflowing." He rolled his eyes. "Needed the big strong man to come figure out how to stop it from flooding the entire apartment. Now go on." He gave Danny a shove. "Get out of here and enjoy some of your summer."

"Well, if the toilet floods again, you can count on me to cover your shift." Danny untied the apron from around his waist then left it folded up under the counter. He didn't mind picking up some extra hours working at the coffee shop since he wanted to get a full time job there for the summer anyway, but the only position they had open was for part time. When the other employees had something come up that pulled them away from work, they called on Danny to fill in for them.

Stepping out of the coffee shop, Danny stretched his arms over his head. He didn't really have any plans, and he didn't really want to join Sam and Paulina on their girls day. Shopping for clothes wasn't exactly high on his list of fun things to do. With his hands shoved into his pockets, he walked down the street. When Danny graduated from Casper High, Vlad offered to buy him a car, a very expensive car. It was part of Vlad's way to make up for everything that happened between them, or at least, Danny guessed that was the reason behind it. But Danny refused to accept the gift. He was sort of regretting that now with all the walking he did to and from work and everywhere else he went. _Maybe accepting a cheap car would be okay_ , Danny thought with a sigh as he crossed a street.

Thinking about Vlad, though, reminded Danny about the whole blackout situation. They still hadn't come up with any new theories about what was happening. After the trip to the beach, Danny gave Vlad's address to Kwan, but he didn't hear word about them meeting yet. With work filling up much of his time, it wasn't surprising that Kwan might not have gotten around to visiting Vlad. Danny ran a hand through his hair. What could they be missing? Or was this actually something that was normal for half ghosts? He frowned, halting at that thought. What if Vlad suffered from blackouts too but had no knowledge of those episodes? Danny made a mental note to ask Vlad about it, or maybe someone that worked closely with Vlad. The Fright Knight came to mind.

Danny started walking down the street again when he bumped into someone. "Sorry," he said as he bent down to help the woman gather all the fallen papers scattered over the sidewalk.

"It's okay," she said, flashing a smile that made Danny pause. "I wasn't paying all that much attention to where I was walking." Emerald eyes rolled. "That's what I get for being so distracted putting together all my designs."

"Simone," Danny mumbled, still stunned about running into the woman.

"You remembered my name." Simone smiled as she took the papers from his hands and added them back into the large binder that she carried. "And you're Danny." She stood up, and Danny slowly followed her. "We didn't really get the chance to speak all that much at the beach."

"You seemed pretty busy chatting with Kwan." Danny frowned at her, not sure why he felt so hostile toward her. Perhaps it was the way she acted toward Kwan when he first met her. Kwan really didn't seem to like the way she ran her finger down his chest. Danny didn't like how forward she acted.

"And that Paulina girl," Simone added as she adjusted some of the designs in the binder. "She has some fabulous design ideas. I can't believe she would give up a career as a fashion designer to become a lawyer. I think she could really go places if she went into fashion."

"She seems to really enjoy studying law." Danny tried not to sound snappish, but he could hear some of the anger and annoyance in voice.

Simone lifted her head and blinked at him. "Oh! I didn't mean to be offensive!" She closed the binder, hugging it to her chest with one arm. Her other hand reached out and rested on his shoulder. "I only meant that it was surprising. After talking to her, I never would have imagined that she was attending law school until she told me about it. She seems to be a girl of many talents. I'm surprised some great guy hasn't already snatched her up." She grinned at Danny, like she was trying to suggest something.

"None of us are actually dating anyone else if that's what you're trying to get at." Danny narrowed his eyes at her.

"You don't like me, do you?" Simone frowned as a hurt look flitted through her eyes.

"I don't really know you." Danny folded his arms. Maybe he was being a little hard on her, but she didn't leave him with a very good first impression.

"Tell you what. I'll reschedule this meeting I'm supposed to have this afternoon, and I'll treat you to lunch." Simone reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone.

"You don't have to do that," Danny said quickly as she started dialing a phone number.

"Yes, I'm afraid I'm going to have cancel on our meeting," Simone said into the phone. When Danny started to argue, she reached out and placed a hand over his mouth to silence him. "Oh, I know. I'm very sorry about this. Something came up, and I just can't make it today. Are you available to meet next week? Okay. Great. I'll see you then. Buh bye." She hung up the phone then smiled at Danny as she returned it to her purse. "There. All settled."

"You didn't-" Danny paused when his words came muffled. Remembering the hand on his mouth, he tugged her hand away. "You really didn't need to do that. We could hang out another time. You sound like a busy woman."

"Oh, it's nothing." Simone hooked her free arm around one of Danny's arm and pulled him along down the street. "One rescheduled meeting isn't going to hurt anything. Now. Where should we eat? Oh! I know this great little Italian place not too far from here."

"I hope it's not anyplace too expensive," Danny said with a weak laugh. What was he getting dragged into now? He would have preferred having to fight off ghosts than dealing with this woman. Shaking that thought from his mind, he reminded himself that he should at least give the woman a chance.

"Oh, I'll pay for it." Simone glanced back and caught the frown on Danny's face. "Okay. We'll go somewhere else." Her mouth pursed to one side as she thought about it. "Oh! Nasty Burger is usually the popular place, right? We can go there."

Danny sighed as she continued to drag him. Simone apparently wasn't the type to take no for an answer. When they reached the Nasty Burger, Simone got in line to order for them. Danny started to give his order when they reached the front of the line, but Simone silenced him with a finger to his lips as she placed the order for both of them. Danny frowned, which Simone chose to ignore it.

"Do you act like this with everyone?" Danny asked as they carried their food to an open table. He noticed more than a few people glancing their way in surprised to see someone like Danny with someone like Simone. She was clearly out of his league in terms of dating, but Danny wasn't interested in her like that. Or even at all really.

"What do you mean?" Simone picked up one of the fries and nibbled on it, gingerly like she expected to be displeased with its taste.

"I mean," Danny picked up a bottle of ketchup and squirted a good amount all over his fries, "bossy. You wouldn't even let me order my own food. Does everything have to be your way?" He frowned as he picked several ketchup drenched fries to cram into his mouth.

Simone stared at him then surprise and shame entered her emerald eyes. "I must seem like such a spoiled brat to you." She bowed her head as she pushed around some of the fries on her tray. "I was an only child growing up, and anything I wanted, I got. I'm just so used to things being like that. I sometimes forget that I might come off spoiled and bossy."

Danny sighed with his hamburger half raised to his mouth. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be mean. Usually it's the guy that orders for the girl."

"Is it?" Emerald eyes widened with surprise. "I never knew." Simone placed a hand to her chin in thought. "I've never really been on a," she flicked her gaze to Danny as he ate, "date before."

Danny choked on his mouthful, struggling to swallow the hamburger in his surprise. He coughed a few times to clear his airway then snapped his shocked blue eyes toward Simone. "Date?" he gasped, stunned by her words.

"Well, isn't that what this is?" Simone smiled, shyly, almost innocently. "When a guy and a girl share a meal together, isn't that usually a date?" She shrugged a little and looked away with a light coloring upon her cheeks. "Like I said, I've never really been on one. Sure. I've had guys interested in me, but they never took me on dates."

Danny took a sip of his soda as he took in what she said. From their conversation on the beach, he got the idea of what those men wanted from her. His eyes looked her over, and he couldn't deny that she was very lovely. Even if his attraction was more toward men now, it didn't mean he didn't appreciate the sight of a beautiful woman. But she was far from being his type. "I suppose this could be considered a date. But I think usually both parties are aware of it being one when they agree to a date."

"Then this is a date," Simone decided without any room for discussion. "So, Danny," she leaned on the table as she smiled, "tell me a bit about yourself."

Danny stared at her as his mouth hung partially open. How did things turn out like this? Wasn't Kwan the one that drew this woman's eye? "I'm average," he answered with a shrug. "I'm still just fumbling through school trying to figure out what kind of career I want. I struggled just to graduate from high school, so I never really put a lot of thought into what I wanted to do." He licked some of the ketchup off his thumb. "So what happened the night that Kwan walked you home?" He never got the story behind their meeting when they were at the beach.

"That's not a very interesting story." Simone frowned in thought. "I was walking to my car, and," she shrugged, "I'm not really sure what happened. One moment I was in the parking lot. Then suddenly I was in this really bad part of town. Everything looked abandoned and gross. Then there was Kwan trying to find out if I was all right and offering to take me home. He was like some kind of savior, appearing out of nowhere when I really needed someone to help me."

Danny frowned as he listened to the story. "I guess it's a good thing Kwan's such a good guy," he mumbled absently. His mind was still stuck on one simple fact: this woman suffered a blackout. She was famous and rich, according to what Paulina said, so it was entirely possible that someone attacked in the parking lot. She could have been drugged and carried away to be ransomed for a large sum of money. She could have a stalker that wanted to have his way with her. There were many possibilities to explain what happened to her, and none of them had to revolve around ghosts. But it still seemed like a fact to remember in his head.

"You're a pretty good guy as well." Simone smiled, dropping her gaze as she sipped her soda.

Danny shifted awkwardly in his seat at the booth as he looked away. He wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he focused on finishing his food. They were almost finished eating, but the last few minutes seemed to stretch on for much longer as they sat there silently, neither knowing what else to say. When they finished eating, they dumped their trash into one of the garbage cans and placed their trays in the slot on top of it.

"We should do this again," Simone announced as they exited the Nasty Burger. "I had a really good time."

"Um, sure," Danny said uncertainly. "I'm sure the others would-"

Simone's lips against his own silenced Danny's words. It was soft and gentle, nothing like how he remembered his kisses with Dash, but Danny simply didn't get that same feeling from her as he did with Dash. His heart didn't jump at the touch of her lips. But he was too stunned by the suddenness of the kiss to respond in any way.

When she pulled back, Simone smiled at him. "I meant that I would like to do this with just you again." She worried her lower lip out of nervousness as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "I'll call you later." She offered a small wave as she walked backwards away from him.

Still in shock, Danny could only wave back as she left. Did that really happen? He could have sworn Simone liked Kwan. After Simone disappeared from his sight, he raked a hand through his hair. He didn't intend to make her like him, or at least not a romantic type of like. How was he supposed to make her realize he wasn't interested? He got the impression that telling her outright that he was gay wouldn't make her take the hint. With a sigh, he started walking back toward his house when a familiar chill made him gasp.

"Really?" Danny grumbled as he ducked down a side street to hide from sight. Why was a ghost appearing in Amity Park after all this time? He thought they all knew to keep out of Amity Park, but apparently there was still a few ghosts that weren't all that bright. His sense didn't feel quite the same though, not like with a regular ghost anyway.

After changing into his ghost form, Danny took to the air as he tracked down the ghost. Closing his eyes, he searched with his sense until he pinned down its location, which wasn't very far away. Once it was in his mind, he flew in that direction. Upon arriving at the scene, he found a dark, shadowy ghost looming over a poor woman, who screamed in fright. Wasting no time, he fired a ball of green energy at the shadow, blasting it away with a from the woman. She scrambled to her feet, wide and terrified brown eyes casting between the shadow and the ghost. She backed away slowly from the showdown between spectral beings. When she was certain their attentions weren't on her, she turned and fled the scene, waves of ebony hair swishing behind her. With the woman no longer an issue, Danny could focus his attention solely on the threat before him.

The shadowy figure reminded him of Johnny 13's shadow. It was smaller in size than Danny and slimmer as well. Its face was beaked like a bird with the crest flickering like flames. Only a single green eye showed on the left side of its face. If it possessed a mouth, Danny couldn't see it. He turned his bright green eyes to searching the surrounding area, praying this wasn't some new, enhanced version of the blond ghost's shadow. His shadow could act upon its own will but was bound to follow its master's orders, even from a distance. The question in Danny's mind was: why would Johnny be harassing some random woman?

Steeling himself, Danny prepared to fight the shadow only to find empty space where his opponent was a moment ago. Hands wrapped about his throat, gentle at first then squeezing tighter. Danny gasped, finding his breath quickly being cut off as spots appeared in his vision. He needed to do something fast before the shadow succeeded in strangling him. Thinking swiftly, he flew backward into the wall of a building. The grip on his neck loosened, allowing him to drop to the ground and roll away from the shadow.

"Stupid shadows," Danny grumbled, rubbing at this sore neck. Feeling something soaking through to his flesh, he dropped his gaze to his hand, the white glove now painted with bright green splotches.

The shadow rose from where it was stunned by the move. Anger radiated from the dark being. Its eyes flashed red in fury. A mouth seemed to cut across its beak of a face, a raspy sound issuing from it. Black strings like inky drool dripped from its mouth. The drops the fell melted back into his shadowy body. Then it surged toward him, its claws extended sharp and menacing, ready to strike.

Shooting higher into the air, Danny shot repeated blasts of energy, raining his attacks down upon the shadow. It weaved through the barrage, successfully dodging as it grew closer to Danny. His breath hitched. He needed to do something to stop the shadow, and fast. His rapid attacks continued, trying to drive the shadow back in its advance. His right hand disappeared behind his back as he charged a stronger attack, focusing only the right amount of power needed. He promised to try to be less reckless with using attacks of pure energy.

The shadow reacted and fell back when attacks blocked its way from reaching the white haired ghost. It shrieked its frustration, trying to break through and reach its target. Danny purposely misfired a blast, allowing the shadow an opening. It gleefully took the opportunity and rushed forward. Its claws raised for attacking, and it mouth hung open with a stench upon it that made Danny's stomach churn in disgust. Danny whipped his right arm around, releasing the charged blast directly at his foe.

The shadow tried to dodge, but at that range, it couldn't escape. The blast pierced through its chest, drawing a shriek of agony from the dark being. It whined and whimpered, clawing desperately at its own body as a hole spread from where the blast struck it. Falling to the ground below, it writhed and cried, the hole growing and its body losing its shape.

Danny could only watch in shock at the display. The last time he fought against Johnny and his shadow was five years ago, but he couldn't remember a reaction like this to one of his attacks. In the past, light was most effective against the shadow. Water was useful as well. But he lacked either of those weapons to use against this shadow, and he wasn't certain that this shadow was affected in the same manner as Johnny's shadow.

A horrible, piercing shriek made Danny clap his hands over his ears for fear that the sound would rupture his eardrums. His heart nearly stopped, and bright green eyes widened at the sight below. The shadow burst, sending out specks of black all about the area that quickly melted into the shadows cast by the building. Danny stared in disbelief at what just happened. The blast he used was only of medium strength, and against a shadow, he only hoped that it might wound it. He never expected this sort of reaction from his attack. Searching with his ghost sense, he found no lingering trace of the shadow anywhere. Sighing, he scratched at the back of his head, not understanding what just happened with the shadow.

Without warning, pain seared his backside. A scream echoed in the alleyway as Danny dropped to the ground. His back ached, curls of pink steam wafting from his exposed flesh where his black jumpsuit was ripped open. He twisted, scanning for the one that shot him. When his eyes landed on a familiar red suit, the color drained from his face. _Shit_ , he thought with growing panic. He turned intangible, sinking into the ground before a second shot could score.

"Don't think you can get away, ghost boy!"

Rising from the ground behind her, Danny fired a quick, weak energy ball that ripped the ecto blaster from her hands. When she spun around, Danny fired a second shot, this time strong enough to knocking her to the ground and trapping her there with a thick foam of ectoplasm. She wiggled and thrashed under the sticky substance, trying to break free as she shouted curses at him. Danny sighed in disappointment as he watched her.

"Do we really have to go through this?" he asked, folding his arms while he floated in midair above her. He thought that Valerie finally gave up the whole ghost hunting career years ago. For the past three years, he never saw her don the red suit. He couldn't even remember seeing her at graduation, but he stopped paying attention to her when she seemed to give up her chase of his ghostly persona.

Valerie halted her struggles, and Danny almost had the impression that she smirked behind the visor of her helmet. "You're mistaken to be so cocky." Her voice was tinged with smugness that didn't send much fear into Danny.

"You're the one currently stuck to the ground." His comment came off cheeky, but Danny only wanted to be done with this whole fight between them. He couldn't understand why Valerie continued to hold a grudge against him. There was the incident with the ghost dog Cujo, but he never meant to cause trouble for Valerie. He apologized numerous times to her for what happened. Clearly, she refused to accept any apologies or explanations about what happened from him.

"Not for long." The smirk was back in her tone.

Danny opened his mouth to question that when something wrapped around his neck. The strings tightened, strangling him. Gasping desperately for air, Danny clawed at the strings in an attempt to rip them away. A sharp yank on the line dragged him down to the ground, and his back slammed into the dirty pavement. The impact winded him as the edges of vision darkened. His panic renewed as he stared at a second person that he never even realized was there. Valerie's partner threw something toward her. The small canister hit the ground with a small clank. The red mist that filled the air dissolved the ectoplasm foam holding her pinned to the ground. Once free, Valerie climbed to her feet, brushing off some stray clumps of foam from her suit.

"You really haven't gotten any better, have you?" Valerie asked with a sneer when she came to stand over him.

A sense of dread washed over Danny while the two ghost hunters loomed over him. The line strangling him reminded him of the Fenton Fishing Line when he tried to go intangible but couldn't phase through it. With his breathing cut off, his Ghostly Wail wasn't an option, but he never liked the idea of trying it out on a human. The thought that it might actually kill a human always made him sick.

Danny needed to act before the hunters tried to suck him into something like the Fenton Thermos. Raising his arms, he fired a low level blast at each of the hunters. They dodged it easily as he expected. Valerie leaped back out of the path of the blast and putting distance between them. The second hunter jumped in the opposite direction. The line snapped free with a plink noise, allowing Danny to tear it away from his neck. He scrambled into a crouch then launched into the air. Even with the speed boards, he knew he could outpace them in flight if the hunters decided to chase after him.

When he was almost level with the roof of the building, something pierced through his shoulder, nearly drawing a scream from him. He clapped a hand over his shoulder, trying to use the pressure to stop the bleeding. Pain blossomed from the injury, radiating outward like a spreading fire. He clenched his teeth tightly against it, forcing himself to focus on what needed to be done. He needed Vlad's help, and with that thought, he made his decision. He corrected course toward Vlad's home.

Danny dared to throw a glance over his shoulder as he sped through the sky. When he spotted no one follow after him, a hint of fear curled inside him. Something didn't seem right about the situation. Why weren't the hunters following him? Their absences at least meant that he didn't have to worry about expending his fading energy to avoid attacks while he tried to reach Vlad. Thinking it best to remain cautious, Danny turned invisible as he raced toward his destination.


	10. Chapter 10

Vlad tapped his fingers upon the table as he stared at the files scattered over it. His lunch sat beside him, getting cold while he focused his attention upon the papers. He ran over the data again and again, so many times that he lost count, but he could find nothing abnormal with the information. Daniel was as healthy as ever and his spectral energy was stable. Nothing gave any clear indication that anything was wrong with the young half ghost. The question remained: what caused Daniel's blackout?

His worry for the young man kept him awake at night, thinking into the early hours of the morning to explain what happened. Unfortunately, no logical answer would present itself to him. Vlad didn't believe this to be a onetime thing or something to overlook as nothing important.

What might happen if it occurred again but this time when a ghost was attacking? Vlad knew there were rogue ghosts here and there causing mayhem in the human world despite his efforts to keep the peace. Daniel was kept well away from the battlefield for over a year now, but Vlad didn't doubt that the first hint of a vengeful spirit would draw Daniel right into battle. If that happened and Daniel suffered another blackout, it could mean disaster for the young half ghost. Recalling the information from the even told to him by Daniel and Ember, Vlad frowned as he thought about this other persona that took control of Daniel's body. It almost sounded like a possession, but Daniel and Ember would have sensed another ghost present at the club. Vlad couldn't see Daniel being overshadowed by surprise like that.

There was also the matter of Daniel changing forms when he blacked out. If he was, somehow as unbelievable as the possibility sounded, possessed by a rogue ghost, why would it have changed him into his ghost form? The ghost may have forced the change, of course, but Vlad hardly saw the logic to that. Why would the ghost force the transformation when it only sought to shout at some unknown entity? A ghost wouldn't need to possess Daniel, or any human, for such a thing. Vlad ran a hand over his face as he sighed in exhaustion. He was only finding more questions without answers the longer he thought on this matter.

The doorbell ringing obnoxiously through his empty mansion disrupted his thoughts. Vlad scowled at the papers littering the kitchen table, wishing he could intimidate the data into providing him the answers he wanted. He walked through his mansion leisurely, seeing no reason to rush to open the door for whomever decided to interrupt his quiet afternoon. His progress on Daniel's case remained slow, stagnant, unchanging. His hands curled at his sides, and his jaw clenched painfully. Daniel was actually trusting in him to figure this out, and he was failing the young half ghost!

When he opened the front door, Vlad glowered as darkly as he could manage at the man on the other side. "What?" he bit out angrily. Then he took in the person before him, and he blinked in surprise at the Asian man, who jumped at the snappish tone in that simple question. An eyebrow lifted as the anger washed away into curious confusion. "You're one of Daniel's friends." He vaguely recalled seeing the man, maybe once before, but he only really knew Samantha and Tucker of Daniel's friends by name. Those two were the ones always joined to Daniel's hip, in high school and in their ghost adventures.

"Kwan Long, Sir," the man introduced with a nervous shift of his weight.

Vlad snorted at the politeness as he stepped aside to allow the man to enter his home. He certainly would never expect such well mannered behavior from Daniel. Once Kwan passed through the entrance, Vlad closed the door. "I don't often get visits from Daniel's friends." His mouth pursed as he watched the man glance around the front hall of the mansion.

Kwan dressed in a simple tee shirt and jeans, looking out of place in the fancy surroundings of Vlad's elaborately decorated home. He didn't often spend much time in Amity Park, which made the look of the mansion seem rather excessive. A pathetic display of his wealth, some might accuse, but it was the lifestyle that he was accustomed to and he didn't plan to change that simply because some people wanted to turn their noses up at him.

"I suppose politeness dictates that I should offer you a beverage," Vlad said as he led the way toward the kitchen. "Tea? Perhaps coffee?"

"Uh, no thank you, Sir." Kwan followed a pace behind him.

"Beer then?" Vlad tossed a look over his shoulder and caught the man quickly shaking his head.

"I'm only nineteen."

"Right." Vlad faced forward again as they entered the kitchen. "Many wouldn't care about age." He gathered up the papers on the table, trying to bring some order to them. Whenever he got buried in his work, he tended to make quite a mess of it, though he tried not to let his employees know that fact. He always liked to keep up the appearance of neatness and order in his employees' eyes. "And it's not like I would tell anyone if you wished to have a beer." He tapped the stack of papers on the tabletop as he smirked at the young man.

"All the same, I'd rather not." Kwan's gaze focused on the papers in Vlad's hands. "I didn't come over here to share a beer with you."

"Then," Vlad set the stack upon the table and leaned one hand on it, "what did you come over here for? I hardly believe you wished to merely see the inside of my home or have a nice chat about the weather."

Kwan stepped closer to the table. His gaze flicked toward the papers before lifting to meet Vlad's blue eyes. "I wasn't there the night of the party, so I only find out recently when I joined them all at the beach."

"I do hope you don't intend to ramble the whole way through this explanation." Vlad sighed, wondering why people never seemed to want to get straight to the point on certain matters. "I am a very busy man, and I have work to do. I don't have the time to waste entertaining your babbling."

An eye twitched as they narrowed half a fraction. "I wasn't meaning to ramble, _Sir_."

Vlad almost smirked at the bite in the man's tone. Kwan, it seemed, had some fight in him after all.

"I was only trying to explain why I didn't come to you sooner. I didn't know about Danny's little blackout episode." Kwan frowned, looking away briefly. "And, well, work kept getting in the way."

"I'm sure Daniel would have told you everything then." Vlad folded his arms, shifting his body to lean against the table so that he now blocked all view of the papers from the man. "He certainly has nothing to hide from you now, after that whole scene during that dance. There's nothing new to tell you. If I did find something out, I would have told Daniel right away."

"I realized that." Kwan hesitated, licking his lips as he dropped his gaze. Vlad quirked an eyebrow while Kwan seemed to gather his thoughts, trying to determine how best to say what he wanted. "I had a thought, but I didn't want to tell Danny about it. All this ghost stuff is still pretty new to me." His shoulders hunched up in a brief shrug. "And I know you're probably the best expert on the topic."

"Your flattery isn't impressing me." But Vlad smirked inwardly. At least Kwan was smart enough to consider him the best instead of claiming Daniel's parents better.

Kwan snapped annoyed eyes at him for the interruption. "But maybe it helps to have a fresh set of eyes, another way of thinking, when you get stuck."

"So you've now taken an interest in studying ghosts?" Vlad wasn't all that surprised, but he wondered why the man came to him now. He learned about Daniel over a year ago. Kwan could have sought out Daniel or Vlad at any point during that time to learn more about ghosts. What brought him now?

"How could I not after finding out about Danny?" Kwan rolled his eyes then glared, like he couldn't believe Vlad would ask something so obvious when the man was supposed to be far more intelligent. "But it seemed to me that maybe you might be missing something with this whole blackout thing." He folded his arms over his board chest, glaring at Vlad like he was daring the older man to laugh at him or shoo him away like an unintelligent idiot.

"What makes you think that you can figure this out when those with more knowledge on the topic are struggling to find answers?"

"I had a theory."

"Well, this should be good." Vlad smirked, resulting in a frown from the man. "What is this theory of yours?"

Kwan's mouth pursed, his jaw visibly clenching. "That night of the dance, Danny used an attack that was stronger than anything I remember him being able to do."

"Yes, he was using pure raw energy," Vlad agreed, wondering where exactly the man was taking this line of thought. "It nearly cost him his life because it drew on his own energy. Using it for as long as he did in that battle, he nearly burned his own soul out of existence."

"Not for the first time." There was no question in Kwan's voice.

Vlad's eyes traveled over Kwan's body, assessing the man before him. "He also used that type of attack the year before in the war in the Ghost Zone against Walker. Two years before that, he used a similar attack against Pariah Dark, though he needed the use of his parents' battle suit to access such power. He was still too young, too new to his powers to be able to unlock such power without aid." He frowned, almost able to see the gears grinding in the man's mind as he absorbed the information. "But what does that have to do with the blackout?"

"Like I said," Kwan replied, snapping his gaze up to glare at him. "I have a theory. Of course," he folded his arms with a thoughtful expression, "I could be completely wrong. That's why I wanted to speak to you about it. Don't you think it's strange that he recovered so quickly after each other those fights?"

Vlad opened his mouth then paused. His brow knitted as the question danced in his mind. He never gave it much thought at any of those times. The first time, his only concern was with his latest scheme and using Daniel as a pawn. He didn't wish a permanent death upon the young half ghost, but he also didn't care much about checking on Daniel's condition after Pariah was sealed away again. After Walker and Daeva, Vlad ran checks of every kind to ensure that the young half ghost wasn't slowly wasting away after using all that power.

"Now that you mention it," Vlad mumbled, his eyes narrowing as he frowned. "Even with our help to stabilize him, it should have taken him much longer to fully recover."

"What if he didn't?"

"Come again?" Vlad blinked at the man, trying to process that question.

"What if Danny didn't fully recover. Hear me out," Kwan added when he saw Vlad start to speak again. "Let's say, for example, that the soul or ectoplasm or whatever you want to use is a growing substance. When you fight, you expend some of that energy with each attack, but you use such a small, controlled amount that it grows back quickly and you never even notice any decrease. Then you take Danny, who three times now in a relatively short amount of time has expended nearly all of his energy. I imagine that would take time to grow back, more time than what was allowed among all three attacks. So what if he hasn't recovered all of that energy he expended? What if there's only a small portion of his soul remaining inside him?"

"What," Vlad narrowed his eyes, stepping in toward Kwan, "exactly are you trying to suggest? If he didn't recover, how did he manage to use such powerful attacks?" The theory wasn't exactly illogical. He thought of something like it once before when Daniel fought against Walker, but he assumed that the energy replenished quickly since Daniel spent so little time recovering after using the attack. Nothing in the data indicated that his energy remained low. The suggestion, however, was worrisome. If Daniel really was still low on energy, then any fighting with ghosts could place him in a very dangerous position.

"That's the other part of my theory," Kwan answered uncertainly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, this part I'm still not completely sure about, but after hearing what happened during Danny's blackout, well," he shrugged, his brow creasing, "it was the only thing I could think of."

A sudden thud interrupted anything that Kwan was about to say. Tension filled the air as both men stiffened at the noise coming from down the hallway. Vlad glanced toward the front hall where his ghost sense tingled with familiarity. He knew exactly which ghost dared to enter his home without permission. Pushing past the man, Vlad hurried to the front of his mansion, not caring if Kwan followed after him or not. Panic thrummed through his veins. If Daniel was barging into his home uninvited, Vlad could only assume that something serious happened.

"Daniel!" Vlad rushed toward the young half ghost currently on hands and knees in the front hall.

"Shit," Kwan muttered at his back.

Daniel kept a hand over his left shoulder, red blood spill between his fingers and mingling with the green blood coating his hand. At some point before Vlad arrived on scene, Daniel reverted back to human. His flesh was paler than usual, sweat rolling down his face. Ragged breaths racked his body as he turned his unfocused blue eyes toward Vlad.

"Hurts," Daniel gasped, struggling to form words as pain pinched his expression. His head bowed, and he began coughing, his body shaking violently until a mouthful of dark blood spewed forth. It splashed onto the carpet in the hallway, an ugly pool seeping into every fiber the blood touched. The sight chilled Vlad, who didn't dare to approach him too closely.

"Kwan, I shall need your assistance. If you will, please carry him to my lab," Vlad instructed with calmness to his command. Now was not the time to let panic rule him. Daniel desperately needed help, and freaking out would only make the situation worse. Vlad turned on his heel to lead the way to his laboratory downstairs.

The scuffle of movement told him that the young man followed his order. Daniel groaned in pain when he was lifting into Kwan's arms. Vlad swallowed thickly, already trying to formulate an idea for what happened to Daniel. Wounds weren't uncommon when fighting against ghosts. Glancing over his shoulder, his blue eyes lingered in the wounded shoulder then drifted to the puncture marks on Daniel's neck, hardly hidden by the bruising of what was obviously some kind of string. A rope would have left larger bruising, but what he saw was thin, like a fishing line. Vlad almost stopped cold as that thought brought up the Fenton Fishing Line. He refused to believe that Daniel's parents were the ones behind this attack.

When they arrived at his laboratory, Vlad instructed Kwan to lay Daniel upon the examining table. He was rather impressed with Kwan's ability to remain calm and collected during a serious situation like this one. Many others would have started panicking and demanding answers to questions that Vlad couldn't even begin to think about at the moment.

"Strap him down," Vlad ordered. As soon as he was placed onto the cool metal of the table, Daniel arched his back off it. His jaw clenched tightly as a scream tried to force its way out of his mouth. His head banged harshly upon the table, his limbs flailing sporadically.

Kwan grabbed hold of one thin, lightly muscled arm, forcing it flat along the table. As Kwan did up the strap around the wrist, Daniel screamed out suddenly, throwing a punch with his free arm that nearly knocked the bigger man over. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his jaw, Kwan caught the other arm before it could take another swing at him. Blood smeared across his face and coated his hand as he wrestled to strap down the thrashing limbs. When it came to the half ghost's head, Kwan forced Daniel to turn his head to the side before he did up the strap to prevent him from beating his head any further against the table. Not a moment too soon either as Daniel suddenly heaved out another mouthful of blood.

"Care to explain to me why you're just standing there?" Kwan shouted, shooting furious green eyes at Vlad. His anger was quite evident but didn't mask the panic and worry.

"Being cautious," Vlad answer as he turned his blue eyes onto Daniel.

The young half ghost struggled against his bounds, pulling so hard against them that it wouldn't be surprising if he left with bruises and cuts around the areas that held him to the table. Growls and screams filled the room but were followed by whimpers and sobs. Something was putting Daniel through a lot of pain.

"He and I are both half ghost." Vlad met Kwan's gaze evenly. "Whatever is affecting him could affect me as well. In which case, you'd be left alone to figure out how to help us. My apologies if I don't quite trust that you have enough knowledge to cure his condition on your own. Check the wound. Take a blood sample. We need to know what's going on with him. Until then, I have to keep my distance."

Kwan's mouth thinned at that explanation, but he understood the need to be cautious. His fingers plunged into the wound, Daniel screaming anew as he tried to yank his shoulder away. After a moment of his fingers questing around the wound, Kwan removed them, wiping his hand as clean as possible on his shirt. Then he held up his hand, and between his forefinger and thumb was a small dart.

"Bring it here," Vlad ordered. "We need to analyze it. If it contains poison, we might be able to create an antidote."

Kwan complied, carrying the dart over to where Vlad stood by the computer console. "What about his wound?" He tossed a worried glance back toward Daniel, who wasn't calming down even a little. His voice grew hoarse from the constant noise he made.

"Place some of the fluid in here." Vlad picked up a dish and held it out toward the man. "Then you can deal with his injury." He couldn't do it for himself without being at risk of poisoning himself in the process. What if it worked simply through contact with his skin? He couldn't chance it while Daniel was in such a dangerous condition.

Kwan snatched the dish out of Vlad's hand. With quick, careful movements that Vlad actually found impressive, he broke open the dart, spilling the tiny remaining amount of silver liquid into the dish. After placing both the dish and the broken dart on the table, he marched over to attend to Daniel's injury. Vlad glanced over the careful deconstruction of the dart, thinking that perhaps he misjudged his opinion of the man. Kwan surprised him with his displays of knowledge. But Vlad would have to leave being impressed for another time. Daniel still needed his help, and his screams were impossible to ignore.

Tugging on a pair of thick gloves, Vlad got to work on his analysis of the silver liquid. He ran tests upon it, breaking it down to learn what exactly was in it. This type of work was common practice for him. He used to break down unknown compounds all the time in his college days, and the formula for how to do it came back to him easily after the many years that passed. He was right on one point: the liquid could prove fatal to half ghosts if he didn't quickly figure out the antidote. Luckily, he was quite adept at that type of work as well. He was never fool enough to create a lethal poison without knowing how to create a cure as well.

"Are you finished yet?" Kwan demanded while pacing back and forth between checking on Daniel and the progress Vlad was making.

"It takes time to create an antidote." Vlad shot a withering glare at the man when Kwan hovered over him. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes at this point in time. Carefully, he mixed chemicals together within a flask then stirred them together by swishing the liquid around inside it. The antidote was nearly complete.

"Gah! Son of a-" The gasping shout from Daniel drew their attentions. The flask nearly slipped from Vlad's hold when his eyes landed on the snow white hair Daniel sported. The young half ghost's fingers twitched, curling as he tried to use his powers, but the straps locking him into place effectively canceled all ghost powers. Growling, he twisted his right arm in a desperate attempt to yank it free.

Hesitation was clear in the jerky steps Kwan took toward the table. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped nervously, coming around the other side of the table to enter Daniel's range of vision. Vlad turned around in his seat, adding in the last of the chemicals to the antidote. They needed to get it into Daniel quickly.

"Danny?" Kwan asked with caution in his voice that made Vlad frown.

With him strapped down, Daniel posed no threat of harming the man, or himself. Once the antidote was complete, Vlad glanced at the other two men, finding curiosity in Kwan's eyes. Grabbing a syringe, he filled it with the liquid inside the flask then walked over to join the other two men.

Daniel snorted, glaring with bright green eyes at Kwan. "What did he get himself into now? It hurts like hell." He cringed when he rolled his left shoulder, now well bandaged though hints of red bled through the layers. Like how Ember described it the night of the party, Daniel was in his ghost form but his normal clothes remained instead of switching into the ridiculous jumpsuit.

"And who are you?" Kwan asked, flicking his gaze toward Vlad. Something in voice and expression made Vlad frown all the more. The question seemed rather odd, but Daniel wasn't exactly making much sense at the moment either.

"Someone who would much prefer to be left alone," Daniel growled, his eyes flashing dangerously as he gritted his teeth. "Now what exactly happened?"

"You were poisoned." Without much preamble, Vlad jabbed the needle of the syringe into the crook of Daniel's arm. The young half ghost jerked, scowling darkly and muttering curses under his breath which Vlad chose to ignore. Pushing the plunger down, the antidote drained into Daniel's veins.

"He seriously needs to learn to stay out of trouble," Daniel grumbled, trying to glare at Vlad, but the older half ghost remained out of his field of vision.

"Care to explain just what is going on here?" Vlad frowned, feeling rather unsettled by this turn of events. Witnessing a blackout wasn't providing many answers to what caused it.

"I'd really rather not." Daniel closed his eyes as his mouth snapped tightly shut.

"This is what I was trying to explain before," Kwan said, folding his arms with a grave expression. "It's like Jekyll and Hyde."

"What?" Daniel opened confused blue eyes to stare at Kwan.

"An interesting theory, indeed." Vlad crossed an arm around his body as he held his chin in his other hand. Jekyll and Hyde, dual personalities, but the thought seemed incomplete. His blue eyes darted toward Kwan whose expression suggested he wasn't finished with his explanation.

"Anyone want to explain it to me?" Daniel demanded, clearly frustrated being the one left in the dark. "And do I have to remain strapped to the table?" A growl rumbled in his chest, reminding Vlad of how much the young half ghost hated to be tied down to an examination table.

"Well, you aren't thrashing about anymore. I suppose that's a good sign." Vlad worked on undoing the straps on his side while Kwan undid the ones on the other side.

In less than three moments, Daniel was able to sit up and climb off the table. He staggered then leaned back against the table. A hand pressed against his head as he groaned.

"You should probably take it easy." Vlad frowned at the state of Daniel's appearance. Blood soaked through his shirt that was left on the table, and splotches of red stained both him and Kwan. "You're still fairly weak from being poisoned. I would like an explanation about how that happened." He folded his arms and pinned Daniel with an expression that clearly said he would _not_ accept any lip from the man. Daniel always had a way with trying to dodge the truth or pass things off as being fine when they were clearly not.

Daniel sighed as he rubbed his aching head. "I took care of this shadow ghost. By the way, is Johnny out of the Ghost Zone?"

"No, he's still in the Ghost Zone, apparently having a splendid time on his honeymoon with Kitty." Vlad caught the confusion on Kwan's face, but that was to be expected. The young man didn't know of every ghost that Daniel encountered over the years.

"Okay. That just makes the whole shadow fight all the more confusing," Daniel grumbled, and Vlad agreed that was rather curious. He knew of no other ghosts that controlled a shadow and always assumed that the shadow was unique to Johnny. "Anyway, after it exploded into nothingness, again weird," Daniel pursed his lips, clearly trying to figure out how to explain that but failing, "Valerie showed up. You just _had_ to give her all that gear and turn her into a ghost hunter that has a target on my back." His glare darkened considerably as he scowled at Vlad.

"I was evil back then." Vlad returned the look with a sour expression. "I expected to use her for a little while to further my plans then toss her aside. I'm not exactly proud of all my actions back then."

"Excuse me," Kwan jumped in, hands slamming down on the examination table. "Valerie as in Valerie Gray?" Shock spread through his green eyes. "You made Valerie Gray a ghost hunter?"

"Like I said, not exactly proud of it."

"Yes, and she nearly killed me this time." Daniel ground his teeth, his eyes shifting to green in his rage. "I'm guessing there really is no hope of convincing her that everything was an accident and trying to make peace with her. Thanks for that, Vlad. Thanks a lot."

Kwan rubbed his hands over his face. "Now we have to worry about Valerie coming after Danny? I think it would probably be wise if you made more of that antidote and we all carry some around with us from now on."

"That was my thinking too," Vlad agreed with an appraising look.

"And I thought things were finally settling down after that fight with Daeva." Daniel sighed wearily, drained from everything that happened and the fact that Valerie was back in town. "I guess maybe I should agree to those training lessons." A frown pulled at his mouth. "Since I'm so reckless." He sneered at Vlad.

"That might be one of your wisest decisions yet." Vlad smirked, blue eyes gleaming with a touch of smugness. "But first, the two of you should probably wash up. Blood is always annoying to clean. I'll have to throw out that rug now." He helped steady Daniel, still weak after the poisoning, as they left the laboratory.


	11. Chapter 11

Kwan ignored the looks that he received during his walk from Masters' mansion to his apartment building. People stared at the red splattered across the white shirt and gave him a wide berth as they passed him. Masters offered him a clean shirt when Kwan and Danny were washing the blood off their bodies, but Kwan declined. He doubted any of the clothes Masters owned would actually fit him since the older man was much narrower in the shoulders than Kwan. He didn't get the chance to finish his discussion with Masters. After the whole event with Danny, the two half ghosts launched into planning out a training schedule, and Masters wanted to get to work building up a supply of that antidote. When he left the mansion, Kwan doubted they even heard him saying that he was leaving.

He huffed a sigh as he climbed the stairs toward his apartment. His theory about what was happening to Danny probably sounded rather convoluted, but maybe Masters would be able to make some sense of it, even if Kwan didn't get to finish telling him all his thoughts on the matter. As he walked down the hallway, Kwan drew to a stop. His mouth dropped open when his wide eyes landed on the man loitering outside his apartment's door. Closing the distance between them, Kwan yanked the man into a tight hug, squeezing his arms around the man.

"Are you trying to crush me to death?" the man croaked out, though his voice held a subtle hint of amusement.

Kwan hugged him for a moment longer before he finally released his death grip on the man. "After disappearing on us like that, I think I deserve to crush you to death, Dash." The grin on his face probably made him look like an idiot, but Kwan couldn't care less about how he looked at that moment because Dash was finally here, in front of him, in the flesh. He unlocked the door to his apartment and allowed Dash to enter first. "Seriously, dude, you could have at least said something at some point during all this time." He closed the door after them.

Dash narrowed his blue eyes as he folded his arms. "Maybe I would have if you had promised to stop talking about Fenton sooner. You're like a freaking dog with a bone. You never let anything drop." His eyes lowered to Kwan's shirt, and he frowned. "Dude, seriously, what happened?" He waved his hand in the general direction of Kwan's stained shirt.

"Sorry for thinking you're being a complete idiot," Kwan grumbled, not missing the way Dash scowled after catching that statement. He grabbed the hem of his shirt then yanked it off, tossing it away into the trashcan in the apartment. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing you want to hear about."

Turning back to Dash, Kwan frowned as he glanced over his best friend. Dash didn't look much different, still as buff as back in high school, maybe even a little more so. He still kept to his slicked back hair style. His skin still tanned like he spent plenty of time in the sun.

"Where exactly did you go?" Kwan walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a couple of sodas. He tossed one to Dash, who caught it.

"College, duh." Dash rolled his eyes. "Where the hell did you think I went?"

"How should I know? You didn't tell me anything. You never even told me what colleges you were thinking of attending. Do you know how much it hurt me and Paulina when you just left?" Kwan popped open his can of soda then took a sip from it. Half of him wanted to just chuck the can at his friend's head, but that would only make a mess now that it was open and Dash would likely catch it before it hit him.

"I thought you promised to drop the topic of Fenton." Dash scowled, dropping onto the couch and throwing open arm over the back of it.

"This isn't about him." Kwan joined his friend on the couch. "This is about us. I've always thought of you like a brother, and then you just abandon me, cut me completely out of your life. It hurt, Dash."

"Sorry, man," Dash mumbled into his soda can as he took a sip. When he lowered his arm again, he glanced around the apartment. "Okay, dude. What's with this place? I expected to find you at your parents' house. Then you sent the address to this place. You're only off for, like, three months before college starts up again. Why do you have an apartment?"

Kwan opened his mouth to answer when the door opened. Both of them turned their heads, following the short, dusty blond man stagger into the apartment. The door slammed closed after him as he headed toward his bedroom without giving the two men sitting on the couch even a single glance. Once the door to the bedroom shut, Dash snapped his wide eyed gaze back around to Kwan.

"You got an apartment for him?" Dash's mouth thinned as his eyes narrowed.

"First off," Kwan growled, returning the glare with his own heated fury, "there's nothing going on between us. We both needed a place to live, so it made sense for us to just share a place." Dash's expression didn't change at that announcement, and Kwan sighed, resting on the armrest of the couch. "Look. I didn't go to medical school." He raised a hand to stop Dash from cutting into his explanation. "You already know I never wanted to go there."

"So you stayed here?" Dash shook his head in disbelief. "Why?" He pointed toward the closed bedroom door. "Because of him?"

"It has nothing to do with him." Kwan reached over and punched Dash in the arm. "I don't know why you're acting so butt hurt over it anyway. It's not like my being gay is a shocking revelation to you. As I recall, you spent most of that night at the club getting hit on by some guy in drag."

"Dude!" Dash shoved him hard while Kwan tried not to laugh. "You promised you would never mention that ever again. That night," his finger wagged in front of Kwan's face, "never happened."

Green eyes rolling, Kwan sighed. "Maybe not for you, but it did for me." He folded his arms and glared at Dash. "You planning on beating the shit out of me now for being gay like some homophobic dick?"

With a snort, Dash looked away and sipped from his soda. "Of course not," he muttered, jaw clenching. "So you like that kid?" He pointed a thumb over his shoulder toward the closed bedroom door.

"Doesn't matter," Kwan mumbled as he leaned forward, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I don't think anything will ever come of it. He already won't accept living here for free, insists on paying his portion of the rent so he's not some freeloader. If I tried to hook up with him, he might think I'm trying to get sex in exchange for letting him live here."

"Now who's being the idiot?" Dash patted Kwan on the shoulder before he climbed to his feet.

Hearing his friend walking toward the bedrooms, panic surged through Kwan. He scrambled over the back of the couch, nearly falling to the floor in his attempt to grab at Dash and stop him. At the closed door, he caught his friend's hand before he could open it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kwan demanded in a hushed whispered, fearing the man on the other side of the door would overhear them.

"You're being an idiot." Dash wrestled his wrist free from Kwan's hold. "Are you really satisfied being just his roommate?"

"That's not-" Kwan closed his eyes briefly to hold back the outburst. "Why do you get to interfere with _my_ love life, but when I even try to talk to you about _your_ love life, you shut me out?" He glared darkly at his friend, frustrated that there was such a double standard between them.

" _I'm not gay_ ," Dash whispered heatedly. "And if you even think about mentioning Fenton, I'm going to punch you."

"Fine. Punch me then. Because it's hilarious to me that the person you fell completely head over heels in love with happened to Danny in drag, and you kept yourself so blind to that fact." Kwan waited, body tensing in preparation for his friend to throw a punch at him. When Dash raised his fist, Kwan flinched away, knowing exactly how hard his friend could punch. Not feeling the fist connect with his face, he cracked open his eyes as Dash knocked on the bedroom door. His mouth gaped open wide, his heart stopping, as Dash merely smirked in satisfaction. When the door opened, Kwan felt the strong urge to run away and hide, but his feet seemed rooted into the floorboards.

"What is it?" Abner rubbed at his tired hazel eyes, looking exhausted as usual after long hours of working. "I have about an hour and half before my next shift, and I was really hoping to get some sleep."

"Well, Kwan here," Dash slapped a hand on his friend's shoulder, completely ignoring the way Abner's eyes snapped wide open. Kwan, though, didn't miss the way his roommate shook at the sight of the taller blond man. "Has something to tell you."

"What are you doing here?" Abner hid behind the door to his room, ready to slam it shut at a moment's notice if it was necessary.

Dash lifted an eyebrow at that reaction. "I'm not allowed to visit my best friend?"

"Dash, you're scaring the crap out of him." Kwan glared, resisting the desire to throttle his friend. He couldn't believe this was happening. Dash, who got so freaked out by his own feelings toward another man that he fled, was now trying to force Kwan to confess his feelings to the man, who was the source of his attraction for well over a year now. It was strange and bizarre, and Kwan didn't think he could handle it right now. He wanted to break through that thick skull that Dash had and make his friend admit to the feelings he had for Danny, even if he did promise not to talk about it again. Dash was the one bringing it up! Dash was the one that mentioned Danny first!

Dash eyed the man still hiding behind the door. "All right. I'll just be over there. You two, talk." He shot a look at Kwan that said he would know if his friend tried to get out of it. Then he walked over toward the couch and threw himself down upon it, disappearing from sight.

"Sorry about that," Kwan mumbled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Abner glanced fearfully toward the couch. Grabbing hold of Kwan's arm, he dragged the bigger man into his bedroom, and the door slammed shut behind them. "Why is Dash here?" His slender body trembled, eyes darting toward the door, like he expected it to burst open any moment with Dash charging into the room.

"He came by for a visit." Kwan frowned as he observed his roommate's reaction. "He's not going to hurt you."

Abner snapped his hazel eyes back to Kwan. "How can you be sure? I saw him that night he was at a gay club. My friend actually hit on him. He has all the reason in the world to kick my ass."

Kwan stared, the words processing slowly in his mind. Then he laughed, unable to hold it back as Abner stared frightfully at him. "I can't believe we were there at the same time. I never saw you." He shook his head in amusement.

Abner gaped at him. "You-" He raked a hand through his dusty blond hair. "I didn't even see you there. Then again, I was completely freaking about Dash being there."

"Yeah, well, I did kind of force him into coming with me. The idea of going there alone kind of freaked me out." Kwan laughed as he leaned back against the door.

"Well, you probably wouldn't have noticed me if you did see me since I was all decked out in drag." Abner shrugged, looking away. His brow creased before he turned back to Kwan. "Why were you there anyway?"

"Uh," Kwan scratched at his cheek, heat coloring his face. "I was kind of in a questioning my sexuality phase, and well, going to that club seemed like a good anonymous way to go about it without everyone in the whole school finding out about it." He hunched his shoulders in a shrug.

"I certainly never heard any rumors about you not being straight." Abner shifted nervously, bowing his head as he twisted at the hem of his shirt.

"I'm not straight." Kwan leaned toward the other man. When Abner jerked his head upward again, their faces were inches from each other. A blush spread over Abner's face while Kwan's heart beat a touch faster. Abner's mouth worked open and close, but he couldn't seem to think of anything to say in response to that confession. Kwan sighed. "Actually, the whole reason Dash knocked on your door was because he wanted me to tell you I like you."

"What?" Abner spluttered, eyes growing impossibly wide.

Kwan licked his lips, tempted to lean forward those final few inches and kiss the other man. Instead he pulled away, running a hand through his dark locks. "But I don't want you to feel pressured into anything. I like how we have things now. It's been great this past year. I don't want to ruin it."

"There must be something wrong with our little group," Abner muttered, shaking his head as the blush remained dark on his face. "None of us seem to be able to confess how we really feel to each other."

"Yeah, well, if Dash would give-" Kwan cut off when his head was suddenly yanked downward and lips sealed his mouth. His mind shut off at the soft contact, dimly able to piece together that Abner was kissing him. Relaxing into the kiss, Kwan placed his hands tentatively on Abner's hips. When the other man didn't jerk away, he pulled him flush against his body, savoring the kiss for as long as he could. Even after a year of wanting to do this, it was better than anything his mind could have supplied.

When he pulled out of the kiss, Abner chewed nervously on his lip as his gaze drifted briefly to Kwan's bare chest pressed against him. "So what's the plan to get Dash to stop being an idiot?"

Kwan sighed as he leaned his forehead down to press against Abner's forehead. "I honestly don't know. He shuts me down whenever Danny gets mentioned. He spent the last year cutting me out of his life because of Danny." Shaking his head, he disentangled himself from Abner. "But figuring out how to help Danny should be more important right now."

"What do you mean? What's going on with Danny?"

"This is exactly why you need to stop pretending like you're still off at fashion school. I already told Danny that I didn't go to medical school."

"Can we focus on the problem with Danny?" Abner frowned.

Kwan sighed. They really did seem to have problems with communicating to one another, and not just when it came to their feelings. He explained about the whole incident at the party and what happened earlier that day when Danny turned up at Vlad's mansion after being poisoned. The fact that Valerie was seriously trying to kill Danny still seemed completely unbelievable to him. He remember Valerie's fall from popularity and the whole thing about her father nearly losing his job and that they had to move into a cheap, pretty crappy apartment. But her anger toward Danny seemed horribly exaggerated. Kwan didn't know the whole story behind what happened, but he couldn't see Danny doing something to purposely foul up Valerie's life. From what he said earlier, it sounded like Danny did make an effort to apologize to her.

"So Danny not only lives with a pair of ghost hunters, but one of his classmates was a ghost hunter too? I don't envy his life." Abner frowned, sadness in his eyes. He blinked, a spark of an idea flashing in his expression. "You said the whole thing with the shadow ghost was weird?" He continued after Kwan nodded. "What if Valerie used it purposely to lure Danny out?

"I wouldn't have thought she would go to such lengths to target Danny, but then I never imagined she was a ghost hunter or that she would come so close to actually killing Danny." The idea that Valerie was drawing Danny Phantom out for the sole purpose of trying to eliminate him chilled Kwan. The Valerie he remembered was nice, mostly. She did suffer from that bloated ego that most of the popular crowd had, thinking themselves better and picking on the less popular. But he never thought she would be so cruel. She wasn't exactly cut out completely from their group. They still invited her along when they would hang out after school, like when they did their bowling nights.

"I don't suppose there's any way to convince Danny not to do any ghost hunting." Abner gave a hopeful look, but it was ruined by his doubt.

Kwan shook his head. "He's too much the hero to just step down if he knows something's up. I think the only reason he managed the rest of senior year and this last year at college without any interruptions from ghosts is because Masters kept any ghost activity away from him."

They stood there, each pondering what to do about Danny and how to keep him safe from Valerie. Kwan couldn't think of anything beyond making sure someone was always around Danny, but that wouldn't stop him from running off the moment a ghost appeared. It would at least allow them to get the antidote to him quickly if Valerie used that poison on him again. If Valerie assumed that attack succeeded in killing Danny Phantom, maybe they wouldn't have to worry about her trying to attack him again. When a knock sounded at the door, both men jumped in surprise.

"I know I'm tolerant of your homosexuality and all," Dash called through the door, "but I really hope the two of you aren't in there getting it on while I'm sitting right outside the bedroom."

Kwan flushed at that announcement. Glancing toward Abner, he found his roommate blushing cutely though fear danced in his eyes. "I don't think he even knew you were there that night. He was too distracted fending off the guy in drag," Kwan told Abner quietly. "And if he tries anything, I'll kick his ass."

The blush darkened a little as Abner dropped his gaze. "I should probably catch some sleep though. Work soon and all, you know." He turned toward his bed then paused. Leaning up, he left a lingering kiss on Kwan's lips. "But if you're free tonight, maybe we can do something." He looked away in embarrassment. "Maybe like a date."

"I think I can get some time off tonight." Kwan grinned as Abner backed up toward his bed, his face redder than a tomato. A knock on the door reminded him of an impatient Dash on the other side. "See you tonight then," he said, receiving a bob of Abner's head. Kwan left the room, closing the door so that Abner could rest in peace.

"So?" Dash smirked wickedly, like he knew exactly what went on behind the closed door.

"You're an ass." Kwan scowled as he walked back over to the couch.

"Someone had to knock some sense into your head." Dash leaned over the back of the couch and flicked Kwan on the ear. He grinned when his friend slapped a hand over his ear and glared. "Up for some pizza or something?"

"Yeah, sure." Kwan disappeared into his bedroom to grab a clean, not bloody, shirt to wear. Dash continued to grin madly as they left the apartment.


	12. Chapter 12

Paulina finished applying mascara then glanced her reflection in the mirror over with a satisfied nod. She was only going to the movies with friends, but as always, she liked to look her best. She settled on a simple pink top with spaghetti straps and jeans that might hug her hips a bit too snugly, but it was a little pain all in the name of fashion. The other women in her classes at law school didn't seem to have any understanding toward fashion. They all wore tacky looking pant suits and thick glasses, and their hair always looked like a mess. Whenever Paulina walked into the classroom, the women all gave these snotty sneers with upturned noses, unlike the men, who all swooned at the sight of her. Paulina rolled her eyes at the thought of her male classmates.

Unfortunately, most of her classmates took her to be an idiot. They never invited her to be part of their study groups, and whenever she asked if she could join them, they told her they didn't have room for another person. It was frustrating and made her feel a little lonely. In high school, she had friends, or at least lots of people wanting to hang out with her. In law school, she spent most of her night studying alone in her dorm room. She liked learning about law, but she wished she had people to talk to sometimes. She was glad she made friends with Danny, Tucker, and Sam, who all e-mailed her from time to time during the past year while Dash never talked to her and Kwan was only vague with his responses.

"You look like you've got something on your mind."

Paulina jumped at the voice. "You scared me!" Her hand rested over her chest, heart pounding away, as she turned to the ghost that magically appeared inside her room. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand behind where the ghost was sitting on her bed. "We're going to be late for the movie if we don't leave now. Traffic will probably be a bitch."

Ember shook her head with an amused smile. "Who needs to worry about traffic when you can fly?" She grinned widely, and Paulina felt her cheeks warm lightly. "Did Danny say he was coming?"

Paulina shook her head, long ebony hair swishing at her back. "He said something about having something to do tonight, but I'm pretty sure earlier he said he didn't work nights." She frowned, wondering what Danny had planned. The thought that maybe he found someone to go on date with flitted through her mind, and she scowled at the possibility. She still wanted to find Dash and beat some sense into him, but she doubted her friend would listen to anything when it came to Danny. That fact made her huff in frustration.

"So it's just going to be you and me," Ember pointed to Paulina then herself, "and Tucker and Sam for the movies?"

"Yeah, Kwan sounded like he was busy with something tonight too." Paulina folded her arms, frowning even more. "What's with all the secrecy? I hope he's not going on some date with that Simone woman." Pouting as she glared off to the side, she messed the flash jealousy on Ember's face.

"I thought you liked that woman," Ember grumbled, some of the bitterness seeping into her voice.

Paulina shrugged. "She seemed nice at the beach, and I'd love a sneak peek of her fashion line. But," she sighed as she walked over to where Ember sat, "I'm nearly one hundred percent certain that Kwan is gay, and I think I have a fairly good idea who caught his eye, if the idiot would ever get the nerve to ask him out." She threw her arms up in the show of frustration over the whole situation. "Dash won't take his head out of his ass long enough to realize his feelings for Danny, and Danny feels so rejected that he naturally won't try to talk to Dash. Kwan's just being a chicken. Tucker and Sam!" She growled, making squeezing motions with her hands like she was trying to strangle an invisible enemy. "They're being so annoying with their whole we don't want to be a couple until after college thing. I get that long distance relationships are hard. But what's the point of denying yourself the opportunity of being with someone when you know they clearly like you back?"

Ember tilted her head to the side, thinking for a while on what Paulina said. Then her mouth spread into a wicked grin. "Let's skip the movie tonight."

"What?" Paulina gasped in surprise. "But Tucker and Sam are probably already there."

"Exactly!" Ember snapped her fingers, pointing at Paulina as the grin remained on her face. "They won't go on a date on their own, so let's force them into it. Besides did you really want to go to it?"

Paulina shuddered. "The whole horror genre isn't my thing. We get enough of ghosts in real life. Do we really have to go see a movie where people are getting chopped by creepy monsters in the goriest ways possible?" The very thought of it made Paulina pale, and she almost felt the need to run to the bathroom before she vomited all over her favorite idol.

"Which is why we should just not go," Ember said smugly as she leaned back on her arms. "And who knows? Maybe there will be a part of the movie that gets Sam all scared, and she'll clutch onto Tucker in the dark movie theater. Then one thing leads to another, and before you know it, they're getting kicked out of the theater for making out."

Paulina couldn't help but laugh at the idea. "Though knowing them, Tucker would probably be the one getting scared. Sam always seemed like she really liked that type of thing. You know, with her dark Goth thing going on. She probably lives for horror movies and all that." She rolled her eyes. That was one thing they would never agree on. Paulina hated Sam's interest in the dark and creepy while Sam hated Paulina's love for the cute and fluffy.

Ember laughed hard, wiping at her eyes. "Oh, you bring up a good point! I forgot about that." When she finally calmed her laughing, she shrugged. "I guess Sam will be the wearing the pants in their relationship."

Paulina folded her arms as she stared down at Ember. She stood with her legs pressed right up against the bed, Ember's legs straddling her thighs. "All right, Miss Genius. So we ditch the movie. What are we supposed to do for the rest of the night?" She lifted one delicate eyebrow at the singer. She didn't spend the last hour getting ready to go out only to end up spending her night at home doing nothing at all. "I mean," she raised one shoulder, glancing away, "I could always catch up on what I'll be studying next year at law school, but I'm sure that would be very boring for you."

Ember pursed her mouth in thought as she leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling. Paulina hoped the ghost would come up with some suggestion for an activity because at the moment she didn't have any idea for how they could spend their night. They could always go to the movies and see something else. Paulina bit the inside of her cheek, wondering if the ghost even cared about things like seeing movies. Maybe she was wrong, but she thought the only reason Ember agreed to come along was because it was going to be a group thing to go and see the premier of the movie.

"Oh! I've got it." Grinning like the Cheshire cat, Ember grabbed hold of Paulina's hand as she turned them both intangible and invisible.

"Got what exactly?" Nervousness fluttered through her at the first tingling sensation of her body losing density to allow her to walk through solid objects. Paulina didn't feel any more relaxed when Ember looped an arm around her waist, and suddenly they were no longer standing on solid ground. Clinging tightly to the ghost, she nearly released a startled yelp of fright as they rose higher into the air, passing through the ceiling of room then the roof of her house and into the summer night. This wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she offered to give Ember a lift to the movie, though in retrospect she realized that offer seemed unnecessary. Ember could easily fly to the theater without much trouble, but she still agreed to join Paulina. Though the ghost mentioned flying before, Paulina didn't actually think it would come to that.

"It's a surprise," Ember whispered teasingly in Paulina's ear.

"That's no fair!" Paulina pouted, trying to ignore the tiny flutter inside her as they flew through the sky. When she glanced downward, she swallowed and immediately regretted the action. Heights didn't normally bother her, but usually she had something solid under her, like when looking over the edge of a building or a cliff. Right now, she had nothing stopping her from falling at this great height except her hold on the ghost, which tightened after her daring glance at the ground.

Worrying her lower lip, Paulina blushed lightly and prayed that Ember didn't notice it. Her history with dating men wasn't exactly the greatest, with all the jerks that seemed to flock to her. She doubted she would ever land a nice guy like Danny. Her mind kept telling her that she needed to find some nice man that would treat her well, and not just stare at her chest while she talked, but maybe she was as stupid as her friends when it came to love. While her brain told what it thought she should look for, her body was telling her something completely different, like how nice it felt being held so closely to Ember. She bit the inside of her cheek as her flush darkened at the warmth twisting inside her. Maybe her feelings toward Ember were always something a little more than simple admiration for a musician, but she doubted the ghost saw her as anything more than a fan. With that realization, the warm happy feeling faded away, leaving her cold and depressed. She couldn't seem to fall in love with the right person.

They touched down suddenly on the ground, surprising Paulina out of her thoughts. She blinked as she glanced around until her gaze landed on the mansion in front of her. Not recognizing where they were, she turned confused emerald eyes to Ember, but the singer merely grinned and knocked on the front door.

"Where exactly are we?" Paulina asked, wrinkles forming across her brow.

"That's part of the surprise." The smirk on Ember's face was starting to drive Paulina insane.

Surprises weren't exactly Paulina's favorite things in the world. It was probably part of her need to be in control of everything around her; bossiness, perfectionism, whatever people wanted to call it. She simply didn't like being left out on what was happening. She still remembered the time that Star tried to surprise her when they were around six or seven, and Paulina wound up falling off the pier and had to be rescued when her leg got tangled in some underwater plants. After that experience, surprises were unwelcomed to her.

When the door opened, they were greeted with a sour expression upon an older man's face. He glared down his nose at them, perhaps not pleased with the interruption of his evening by two seeming teenage women. Paulina realized then that she didn't even know how old the ghost beside her was. To the dead, age probably didn't matter much, but Ember's appearance made her look like a nineteen year old.

"I know I'm your manager, Ember," the man said, frowning at the singer, "but that doesn't mean you can just come traipsing into my home at all hours whenever it suits you."

"Vlad always acts like he has a stick up his butt," Ember stage whispered to Paulina, pretending to be discreet by talking behind one hand. Vlad, however, clearly overheard her if the twitch of his eye meant anything. Taking hold of Paulina's hand, Ember invited herself into the mansion, which was more extravagantly decorated than Paulina imagined from the outside. Her mouth parted slightly as she glanced all about the front hall. This Vlad person was clearly someone with a lot of money and didn't mind showing off that fact.

"I never actually gave permission for you to enter." Vlad's voice held a hint of annoyance as he closed the door.

"Who was at the door?" Three pairs of eyes swiveled around, landing on Danny as he walked into the front hall with a water bottle in his hand and towel draped over his shoulders. He blinked blue eyes in surprise when he spotted Ember and Paulina standing next to each other, Ember's hand still loosely wrapped around Paulina's wrist.

"What's the dipstick doing here?" Ember questioned, snapping her gaze toward Vlad.

"That's what I was going to ask you," Vlad replied with half a sneer.

Paulina, meanwhile, remained focused on Danny and the bandages around his throat. "What happened?" Pulling her wrist free, she stepped toward Danny as she tentatively reached out a hand toward his throat. Her fingers came close to brushing over the bandages before hesitantly she curled them away. Her worried mind supplied multiple scenarios to explain why Danny was injured about his throat, and she didn't like any of them.

"It's nothing too serious," Danny answered, laughing weakly. "It should heal up pretty soon."

"Oh, yes," Vlad added with a roll of his eyes. "Getting poisoned and nearly dying isn't too serious at all." Danny glared, his eyes flashing bright green for a brief moment.

"What?" Paulina nearly shrieked out at that comment. Even Ember gave surprised demand when she heard it. "And you weren't even going to tell us about this, were you?" Paulina placed her hands on her hips as she gave Danny her very best disapproving angry glare. She almost smirked in satisfaction when Danny cringed away from her.

"I didn't think it was that big a deal." Danny looked away, playing absently with his water bottle.

"Daniel, I think you forget-"

"We care about you, Danny!" Paulina shouted over Vlad. "None of us want to see you get hurt. How are we supposed to help you if you keep secrets from us? I know I don't know a whole lot about the whole ghost fighting thing, or even really how to fight a ghost, but I'll help however I can. I want to help. We all want to help. Why do you always think you have to battle everything on your own?" It really hurt her to think that Danny was still keeping things from her when they were supposed to be friends now. She could understand why he didn't say anything last year when the whole thing with that Daeva ghost was happening. At that point in time, she didn't even know he was half ghost, and they were hardly friends. But she thought now, after more than a year of talking to each other like friends, that he could share with her when ghost stuff was going down.

"I do believe the young lady has a point." Vlad gave Danny a meaningful look. "You would have to tell them something when you gave them the antidote to keep in their possession at all times."

"So what exactly happen? New ghost in town?" Ember's expression turned serious, not like the usual mischievous playful look she usually wore.

"Maybe you would know," Danny said thoughtfully as he turned to Ember. "Are there other shadow ghosts besides Johnny's?"

Ember blinked then glanced at Vlad. "I always thought that was unique to Johnny. I've never seen another shadow before."

"So that still remains a mystery." Danny raked his right hand through his dark locks, frowning. "But I'm sure that's something Vlad can handle." His blue eyes darted toward the older man, and he wore a cheeky, sarcastic smile. "What with all his wonderful ghostly patrols. But the bigger problem right now isn't some silly shadow that seemed a little too easy to take out." He frowned, probably worrying over the fact that the shadow wasn't more difficult. "Valerie's back in town."

"Why is that problem?" Paulina asked with an innocent blink of her emerald eyes. "I mean, I know Valerie wasn't exactly friendly toward you, most of the time. But why should it matter if she's back in town? Her father does still live here. It's only natural for her to return here from college." She glanced around at the other three, and at their serious expressions, she felt like she was missing out on some big detail that no one decided to clue her in on beforehand.

Danny heaved a sigh, seeing it as his duty to reveal the information. "Well, since Kwan already knows, I guess it's only fair to tell you too." He folded his arms as he met Paulina's gaze. "Valerie's been a ghost hunter ever since all that crap happened to her in freshmen year. Her dad losing his job was all partially my fault. It's not like I meant for anything bad to happen to her, but there was this ghost dog rampaging all around and I needed to get it back into the Ghost Zone. In my attempt to capture the dog, I may have cost her dad his job." He cringed at the memory. "So she's held a grudge toward Danny Phantom ever since then, and she is so not letting go of it." His blue eyes narrowed at Vlad. "Because _someone_ in their infinite wisdom thought it would be a good idea to give a girl with a grudge some ghost hunting equipment."

"Some of your brilliant plans really know how to bite you in the ass, don't they?" Ember turned an equally angry glare upon Vlad.

"Why exactly would you do that?" Paulina raised a questioning eyebrow at the older man.

"I already admitted that wasn't one of my prouder plots," Vlad muttered with a sneer. "At the time, I was still scheming to steal Maddie away from Jack. I thought employing the young Miss Gray as a pawn would enable me to distract Daniel while spying on him with the surveillance equipped within her suit."

"Then shouldn't you be able to see exactly what she's up to now?" Paulina didn't like any of this information. Accepting that Danny was half ghost was almost easy. A lot of stuff about him suddenly made sense after that piece of knowledge was revealed to her. Being half ghost didn't exactly change his personality either. He was still the same old Danny, from what she could tell since they weren't exactly the best of friends before that dance. But Valerie being a ghost hunter was like being told the sky was green or milk came from monkeys. She simply couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"I've already considered that." Vlad sniffed indignantly, like he couldn't believe a child like Paulina was questioning his intelligence. "It seems she's made some changes to her gear, and in the process must have discovered the surveillance equipment and removed it. I haven't had much reason to keep an eye on her for a few years now, so I wasn't aware of this until now."

"I can't believe she wants to kill you." Paulina shook her head in disbelief, having thought that she actually knew Valerie. The fact that Valerie could be a killer made Paulina doubt she really knew anything about the real Valerie.

"I just have to be careful." Danny shrugged. "I've been dodging her since freshmen year. Well, less in recent years actually." His brow furrowed lightly as he considered that. "Anyway, I'll just have to be cautious if I have any reason to change into Danny Phantom, and I'm getting some training from Vlad." He turned to Ember. "You should probably keep your energy suppressed while you're hanging around here, just in case she decides to attack any ghost she finds." Ember nodded in understanding at the warning.

"I'm still a little unclear as to why you two are here in the first place." Vlad folded his arms as his blue eyes fell upon the two women. Still in the dark, Paulina glanced to Ember for an answer.

"I was hoping I could take Paulina into the Ghost Zone." Ember shrugged with her eyes looking anywhere but at the other three in the hallway.

"You cannot be-" Vlad didn't get to finish before Danny dragged him away for a private discussion.

"Why the Ghost Zone?" Paulina only knew a little from what Danny told her about the Ghost Zone. It always sounded a little creepy, and depressing, to her with all those ghosts wandering about it for all eternity.

"It seemed like a good idea," Ember offered with a shrug.

"I'm going to have to deny permission," Vlad announced when he returned. As Ember opened her mouth to argue, Vlad held up a hand to silence her. "It's too dangerous to just bring humans into the Ghost Zone simply because you wish to. And don't bring up all the times Daniel's friends went in there. I'm not going to allow it. However," he folded his arms behind his back, "Daniel had an idea. He should have it all ready within a few moments."

Paulina only realized then that Danny disappeared at some point. She chewed on her lip nervously as an awkward silence fell thickly over the three of them. Ember simmered quietly beside her, clearly unhappy that Vlad was denying her of whatever she planned. Vlad, meanwhile, glanced repeatedly with growing impatience at his watch. After many long moments, Danny returned to the front hall with a wide grin on his face.

"This way, ladies." Danny bowed, gesturing toward the way he came from.

Paulina glanced curiously at Ember, who merely shrugged. They followed after Danny toward another part of the mansion, still clueless about what Danny had up his sleeve. When they arrived in front of a pair of double doors, Danny turned to grin at them before he pushed open the doors at his back. Paulina gasped and stumbled past him into the room. Wide emerald eyes swept around the grassy incline , sloping down from the door to a small gazebo at the bottom of the hill. The white sides of the gazebo were covered with roses and gave off that romantic atmosphere where some sappy young couple would share a kiss. Overhead, the night sky was filled with twinkling stars, and every now and again, a shooting star would fly past. She didn't know how it was even possible when she was certain there was a room above this one, and the double doors shouldn't have led outside.

"How did you ever convince the Ghost Writer to do this?" Ember questioned behind her, and Paulina spun around to stare at the other two. "I thought he still hated you."

"He hated Walker a lot more." Danny grinned at her. "And I made him realize that he probably owes me one for getting rid of Walker." He nudged Ember into the room. "Now you two enjoy. I believe Ghost Writer said this whole illusion ends at midnight. Enjoy!" With one more wide grin, Danny closed the doors, leaving the two women alone.

"Okay. He's up to something." Paullina frowned, pointing a finger at the door like Danny was still there. She couldn't quite figure out what Danny was planning, but it seemed like this was all some setup for something.

"Who knows?" Ember shrugged but didn't look at Paulina, making her think the singer did know something. "But hey, we wouldn't be able to enjoy this show every night." She walked a little ways down the hill then flopped down and folded her arms behind her head. "We might as well enjoy this while we can."

Paulina joined her, sitting down with her knees hugged to her chest. Turning her gaze toward the ceiling, she watched the stars that shot by, a smile tugging at her mouth. "This is just like my quinceañera," she whispered wistfully, remembering the night of her fifteenth birthday.

"Did you make a lot of wishes that night?" Ember turned curious eyes toward her.

"They didn't come true." Paulina frowned, trying to remember what exactly she wished for all those years ago. They were probably silly wishes, stupid desires that were unlikely to ever come true. One thought did wiggle into her mind, and she sighed tiredly, resting her head on her knees. "I think I even wished for love, but as you probably guessed, that certainly didn't come true." Her eyes drifted toward Ember. "I don't seem to do very well with love." She laughed with some bitterness. "Maybe I'm a little like Danny in that manner. He fell in love with someone that probably won't ever love him back."

"And I thought you were all for trying to get the blond blockhead to realize his feelings for the dipstick." Amusement quirked at Ember's mouth.

"Dash is too thick headed. I doubt he'll ever listen to me."

"And," Ember spoke with some hesitation, "who did you fall in love with?"

Paulina shook her head, closing her eyes. "You don't want to know." She heard Ember moving beside her but didn't open her eyes. If she said anything about feeling anything like love toward the singer, she would ruin this friendship that she had with Ember. She didn't want to drive Ember away like that. She liked being able to talk with the ghost.

Lips pressed lightly against her mouth as a hand gently cupped her cheek. For a moment, Paulina didn't know what was happening. Then she jerked away, her eyes snapping open to find Ember still leaning far too closely to her.

"What are you doing?" Paulina's voice trembled with a mix of fear and excitement.

Ember licked her lips nervously, lowering her gaze. "Well, I thought I'd take the chance to steal you away from whatever fool you fell for." Her cheeks tinged lightly as she spoke.

"You're not playing with me, are you?" Paulina really, _really_ hoped that the ghost wasn't being her mischievous self. She wanted that kiss to be more than simple teasing. Her lips still tingled from the singer's touch, and her heart felt like it was racing through the sky like the stars overhead.

"I don't joke about things like this," Ember admitted seriously. "I haven't really let myself love in a long time, not since my death, because I was foolish and stupid. And back then I thought I was so in love with this guy that when he dumped me, I couldn't go on. But," she placed a hand tentatively over Paulina's hand, like she feared the woman would jerk away again, "I really enjoy all those letters you write to me. You never talk to me like just some fan. It always sounds like you want to get to know the real me. And when you started paying all that attention to that Simone woman at the beach, I couldn't help feeling insanely jealous. Danny," she laughed and shook her head. "He told me I should just go for it with you, but I was kind of scared since I'm just a ghost."

Paulina laughed, almost wanting to cry when she heard all of what Ember said. "It seems we're all a little stupid." She grinned at Ember's confused look. Then she pulled the singer closer, and this time, she got to be the one to steal the kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

Tucker glanced at his watch yet again as they stood in the lobby of the theater. "Where are they all?" Frowning, he turned his gaze to Sam, who stood next him while she tapped her foot impatiently with her arms folded. "I thought Paulina and Ember at least would be here already. I mean, Ember could just fly them over all the traffic.

"I'm guessing they ditched us," Sam grumbled, her purple painted lips pulling into a frown. "We might as well go in now. The movie starts in three minutes. If they show up, they can come find us."

"I'll grab snacks and you get the seats?" After Sam agreed, Tucker hurried to the dwindling line at the concession stand. He scratched at the back of his head as he thought about the turn of events. They left contacting Danny and Kwan to Paulina, though Tucker was fairly certain that Kwan would claim he had work and couldn't make it. The man seemed to always be working, but Tucker guessed he couldn't really say anything since he was spending most of his summer working too. Danny didn't usually work night shifts from what his friend told him.

Then the thought that maybe Paulina never even called the other two men entered his mind. And now not even Paulina or Ember show up? Tucker almost froze as he approached the counter, wondering if maybe Paulina purposely set everything up so that it would be only Tucker and Sam at the movies. While he did care for Sam, the two of them danced around the idea of dating for well over a year now, ever since they went to the school dance together, as just friends. Tucker wanted to date her, but he was nervous about ruining their relationship and there was the long distance thing to factor in now. Did he want to risk them starting something now when in a couple months, they would be separated for the majority of the year after the summer ended? Other people might say they were being silly, but from all the stories he heard, the long distance relationship thing never tended to work out well.

"You ordering or not?" demanded the man at the concession stand, his grouchy and annoyed blue eyes glaring at Tucker, who thought he would probably be in a foul mood too if he had to wear that horrible salmon pinstripe vest. "If not, move. You're holding up the line, and I'm sure the people behind you are anxious to get their snacks before their movies start."

"Sorry. I'll have two diet sodas, a large popcorn, and uh," Tucker glanced at the sweet goodies under the glass of the counter, "some milkduds."

The man rolled his eyes as he turned to get Tucker's order together. Tucker frowned at the orangey red hair at the back of the man's head, hoping the man wouldn't do something horrible to his snacks, like spit in the sodas or over salt the popcorn. When the man turned back, placing the sodas on the counter, a sneer crossed his freckled face. In another moment, the tub of popcorn and box of milkduds joined the sodas.

After paying the employee, Tucker happily carried everything off toward the theater playing the movie they came to see: Dead Again: Revenge. He grinned excitedly about being able to see the movie on the premier night after waiting the past seven months for it to be released. From all the articles that he read about it, the movie was supposed be gorier than the first one and promised lots of surprises and unexpected twists that will the audience screaming. Shaking his head, he realized that maybe Paulina backed out of coming because of the choice of movie. The horror thing didn't really seem like something she would be interested in, especially after she wanted to watch the whole Sayonara Pussycat movie series at Sam's house. Tucker bit his lip to hold back a laugh when he remembered Sam's expression at that suggestion. The two women were such opposites that it still amazed him that they could get along for more than even a minute.

The previews were already playing across the screen when Tucker managed to find Sam among the large crowd filling the theater. He was impressed that Sam found them such good seats, right in the middle of the theater, but Sam always seemed to snag good seats. He never quite figured out how she managed it. Sam took the sodas from him as he sat down with the large tub of popcorn in his lap.

"That guy at the concession stand certainly had a stick up his butt," Tucker grumbled, taking the soda Sam held out for him. After taking a quick sip, he placed it in the cup holder on his armrest. "Did I miss any good previews?"

"No, all lame so far." Sam grabbed a handful of popcorn, popping individual pieces into her mouth. Her violet eyes focused on the screen as another preview played. This preview was something about some swamp monster feasting on poor campers at a summer camp. Even Tucker rolled his eyes at it, thinking about how lame the monster looked, not scary at all.

When the movie finally started after what felt like an hour's worth of previews, they fell silent, excited to finally see the movie. Despite how eager he was to watch it, Tucker's mind kept drifting back to the question of this being a setup to make him go on a date with Sam. His eyes glanced repeatedly toward his friend throughout the movie, and every time Sam's gaze turned to him, Tucker quickly flicked his eyes back to the screen. His stomach twisted uncomfortably when their hands touched as they both reached for some popcorn. His mouth went dry, and even gulping down most of his soda at once didn't seem to help. He could barely focus on the whole plot of the movie, and every time the audience screamed or gasped in fright, Tucker realized he didn't even know what happened to cause that reaction.

Before they reached the climax of the movie, Tucker ducked out of the theater to go to the bathroom after going through his large soda too quickly. Instead of returning to the movie afterward, he waited outside the theater until it finished and Sam came out with the rest of the crowd.

"Where were you? You missed the best part," Sam announced when she found him. Tucker merely shrugged, and she frowned. "Okay. What's going on? Is this because our friends decided to be jerks and ditch us?"

"Well, don't you think it's a bit odd?" Tucker asked as they walked through the parking lot toward Sam's car. "They all ditch us, pretty much forcing us to be alone together. Like it was a date." His cheeks flushed as he glanced tentatively toward Sam. He debated bringing up that fact throughout the movie, and now he worried that maybe he shouldn't have said anything at all.

Sam frowned as she unlocked the car's doors. "You don't really think they would do something like that, do you?" But her voice spoke volumes of her suspicions, and she probably thought the same as Tucker while they sat together in the theater. They both climbed into her car.

"It makes the most sense." Tucker shrugged and pulled his seatbelt around and buckled it. "Would," he started hesitantly, throwing a glance toward Sam, "it really be so bad to date? You like me, don't you? Because I like you." He flushed darker, staring down at his hands as he absently picked to the dead skin around one fingernail. He thought his stomach was about to try jumping out his throat after admitting it out loud. Even if they both knew it, they never actually said the words to each other. He was too nervous and scared to actually look at Sam again.

"Tucker," Sam sighed, brushing some of her behind one ear. "Of course I like you, and I would like to date. But the whole long distance thing, we both know that never works."

"We don't know if we never try," Tucker pointed out, daring to glance at Sam and spotted the doubtful frown on her face. "What if we just dated for the summer then? Give us a try then break up before going back to college. I don't think I want to keep waiting until the end of college. What if you fall for some better guy while you're at college, and I never got my chance with you? I don't want to miss my chance because we're both scared of a long distance relationship not working out."

"And you don't think I worry about you meeting some beautiful girl that makes you go all gooey eyed at her?" Worry shone in her violet eyes despite the darkness of the car. "All year, I kept thinking about how you could be hanging out with some girl from class. Maybe alone in your dorm room. And I couldn't help thinking that I lost you before I even had you."

Tucker laughed a little, shaking his head. "I think I'm the one that needs to be more worried about that." Smiling, he met Sam's eyes. "You're so beautiful, and guys would be crazy not to fall for you. I'm just the loser techno geek. Girls don't come flocking to me, swooning because I throw a glance at them. I could never even get dates to school dances, much less get a girl to date me. And you know I tried asking pretty much everyone. I just never asked you because, well, you were special. You're my friend, and I've always worried that we'd ruin our friendship if we started dating. But," he reached over, laying a hand over Sam's hand, "I don't want to regret never finding out if what I feel for you really is love. Let's take the chance."

"Idiot," Sam mumbled, trying to subtly wipe at her eye with her free hand. "So three months? Do you really want to break up after that just because college starts up again?"

"Well, if we're worried about the whole long distance thing." Tucker shrugged, but his real answer was that he didn't want to break up. He wanted to be with Sam, but they both chose colleges far away from each other. "And I do still worry about some guy winning you over."

Sam laughed, rolling her eyes. "You know, it wasn't like guys didn't ask me out this year, but," she shrugged, smiling at him, "I wasn't interested in anyone else."

"So why exactly have we been dancing around this?" Tucker laughed, thinking about how silly they were. If neither of them, Sam mostly, were tempted to date other people during the last year, maybe they didn't need to worry so much about the long distance relationship thing not working out. It wouldn't be easy, of course, but they still felt the same for each other even after being apart for most of the year.

"It's not like we're the only ones dancing around our feelings." Sam leaned back in the driver's seat as she turned her hand over and laced her fingers with Tucker's and squeezing his hand lightly. "I'm pretty sure Abner was crushing on Kwan by the end of senior year. Meanwhile, Paulina and Danny haven't exactly done all that well with love."

"Did you see the way Paulina punched that dude at the party?" Tucker laughed at the memory. He glanced over in time to only see Paulina's fist connect with the man's stomach, but it looked like it hurt a lot from the way the man was wheezing and bending over afterward. He still didn't know what happened to provoke Paulina to punch him, but it was quite the sight to see.

"Speaking of the party, we still haven't figured out what happened to Danny that night." Sam frowned in concern for their friend, and the reminder killed Tucker's humor. The situation was serious, but neither of them could think of anything to explain the strange blackout that Danny had the night of the party. They sat in silent contemplation, pondering for some answer that might help them understand what caused the blackout, until Sam's phone rang. After digging around in her purse, she pulled out her phone to check her messages. "Danny wants to meet us at Vlad's mansion."

"If this was freshmen year again, I'd be freaking out about the fact that Danny's at Vlad's place. Wow, things sure have changed since then." Tucker shook his head, still finding it difficult to believe that Vlad was actually on their side now.

"Yeah, but what is he doing there?" Sam frowned as she started the car, at last, and pulled out of the parking lot. While they sat there talking, most of the traffic from the premier dwindled away, leaving the streets pretty clear. "If he's there, then something must have happened." Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, worry flashing in her violet eyes.

That reminder sent a cold chill down Tucker's spine. He didn't think about the implications of Danny's presence at the older half ghost's home. Danny didn't usually have much reason to visit his former archenemy unless something serious came up that required Vlad's help. "But he sent you a message, so he should be okay. Right?" Tucker sent a glance toward Sam, whose face was set in a dead serious expression. He kept his mouth shut after that, realizing now was probably not the best time to try to make light of the situation.

When they arrived at Vlad's mansion, Sam was out of the car as soon as the engine shut off. Tucker scrambled to follow after her, arriving at her side while Sam pounded away on the front door. It took only a moment for the door to open, and the pair shoved into the mansion, both grabbing hold of a startled Danny.

"What's with those serious looks?" Danny laughed uneasily then gulped when his friends only glared even more.

"What happened?" Sam demanded, her fingers particularly digging into Danny's arm to ensure that he wouldn't escape. "And don't try to say everything's fine. It clearly is not fine."

Danny sighed, hanging his head. "Okay. I was planning to tell you anyway." He phased his arm out of Sam's hold then ushered them into the front room where they could sit on a cushy white sofa. Danny sat down in a chair opposite them as he raked a hand through his hair. "So Kwan only knows because he was here when it happened, and from what I understand that was a really good thing. And Paulina only found out because she came over here earlier and wasn't going to buy any lie I told her. And I'm really sorry you guys are finding about this last when you're my best friends and I should be telling you everything first."

"Oh just spill it, Danny!" Tucker said impatiently when Danny started rambling too much. "First, last, it doesn't matter! Just tell us what happened."

"Well, I'm a little angry that Paulina found out first," Sam grumbled, arms folding. "But I guess what really matters is that we all know in the end."

"At least I can do a condensed version of this with you guys," Danny said with a weak laugh that quickly fell flat when his friends didn't find any amusement in the comment. "Random shadow ghost thing appeared, no explanation about that since it wasn't Johnny's shadows. It exploded after I hit it. Then Valerie showed up." He held up his hands to silence them when Sam and Tucker both opened their mouths to speak. "I got away, but while I was flying away, she hit me with this dart that had a poison in it that was killing me. Thanks to Kwan who helped Vlad, who couldn't really touch me without risking getting poisoned as well, they were able to make an antidote and save me." He reached into his pocket and brought out two vials of the antidote. "And we thought it would be a good idea for all of us to carry some of this in case Valerie attacks me again. This way, I just have to get to one of you if I get poisoned again."

"Good thinking." Tucker reached across the table and took the two vials from Danny. When he sat back, he offered one of them to Sam, who frowned severely after hearing the story.

"I never actually thought she would go this far," Sam admitted, jaw clenching. "She actually tried to kill you!"

Danny sighed as he slumped back against the chair. "Yeah, I thought maybe after these last couple of years, she finally gave up on hunting me. She hadn't been very active, but I spent a lot of junior year in the Ghost Zone and didn't appear as much here as Danny Phantom." He raked a hand through his hair. "But hey, as long as I'm more cautious, we don't have anything to worry about." He forced a smile to his face, but the look in his blue eyes suggested he knew his friends weren't buying it.

"Danny, this is serious!" Sam shouted with a fury in her eyes.

"Sam's right. Valerie has become a whole new level of dangerous." Tucker rubbed at his eyes, hardly believing that this was happening. "Before she was only half a notch above your parents or the Guys in White in terms of a threat. Now she's like way up here." He lifted a hand, reaching it high over his head. "You _can't_ appear as Danny Phantom while she's around. I know it's going to be hard, but for the rest of the summer, you are a normal person. You don't have ghost powers. You're one hundred percent normal." With a very serious expression, Tucker pointed a determined finger at Danny.

"Isn't that going a little-"

"No, I don't think it is, Danny," Sam cut in just as seriously as Tucker. "It's too dangerous if Valerie has this new poison that could kill you. Even if we carry around the antidote, what if you don't make it in time? What if she hits you more than once and the poison acts too quickly? What if she develops a new strand of poison that the antidote has no effect on?"

"Guys, this wouldn't be the first time I've been in a life threatening situation. Remember the whole war in the Ghost Zone?"

"And we were worried like crazy!" Sam shouted. "You didn't tell us anything while it was happening. You just up and disappear, and we were left to wonder if you would even come back. We didn't have any idea what you were going through, and it scared us. And now this? Hearing that you came close to dying, yet again? Danny, we're scared that one of these times, you're not going to make it. Do you know how that's going to make us feel? Do you know how painful it will be to lose you?"

"Uh, evil future, remember?" Danny frowned with a dark look in his eyes. "I think I know _exactly_ how I would react if I lost the both of you." Sighing, he dropped his head into his hands and rubbed at his face. "But I guess I understand what you mean. I'm sorry I keep doing this to you both. I never meant to make you guys always worried about me." He shook his head as he looked back up to them. "I wouldn't even blame the both of you for getting fed up and just leaving me after everything that's happened these last five years."

"Danny, we're best friends." Tucker rolled his eyes. "Of course we're going to stick with you. We just want you to be more careful while things are risky. I bet even Vlad would want you to lay off being a hero until Valerie isn't a threat."

"But that's problem, isn't it?" Danny frowned at them both. "Valerie will never not be a threat. She _hates_ Danny Phantom. And she is not letting that hate go. I don't think I can ever get her to at least agree to a truce."

"And I thought the night was starting to look up when we were talking in the car," Tucker complained as he glanced at Sam.

"Wait." Danny's blue eyes darted between his two friends. "Are you," he pointed his fingers at both of them, "together?"

Sam scrunched up her mouth as she stared at Tucker. "Yeah, we finally decided it was pretty pointless to cling to the long distance excuse."

"I'm so happy for you both!" Danny phased right through the table between where they sat as he rushed over to hug his friends. "It's been driving me crazy that the both of you were tiptoeing around your feelings." He turned around and dropped onto the sofa between them with a happy smile on his face. "Now, if everything went as planned, then Ember should have confessed to Paulina by now."

"Was it your idea for everyone to skip out on the movie?" Sam demanded, glaring at Danny, who shrank away from her and leaned into Tucker.

"No!" Danny held up his hands in defense. "Totally not my idea. I skipped because I'm starting training with Vlad."

"And I thought you left already," Vlad commented, startling the three friends. They twisted around on the sofa, and Vlad sneered sourly at them from where he stood in the doorway.

"I thought it better to tell them everything here where we wouldn't have to worry about parents walking in while we're talking," Danny explained with a sheepish look.

"Understandable, but you could at least ask permission first." Vlad pursed his lips, glaring down his nose at the younger half ghost. "My house is not some little club house for you and your little friends."

"Really? Because it seemed like you enjoyed having me around earlier when we were training." Danny grinned impishly.

"I expect you all to leave before morning." Vlad turned on his heel to leave.

"Hey! Do you want to join us?" Danny called before Vlad could get more than a few steps away. "Ghost Writer's illusion still has a few hours left. I don't think Paulina and Ember would complain if we joined them to watch the shooting stars."

Vlad mumbled something but eventually consented to spending the evening with them. Danny smiled widely at that response while Tucker and Sam merely exchanged confused looks. As he followed after all of them, Tucker couldn't wrap his mind around the idea that Danny actually invited Vlad to spend time with him. It was strange watching the two half ghosts chat with each other as they walked, but Tucker guessed a lot changed ever since they sided together to fight in that war in the Ghost Zone. He wasn't sure he wanted to know all the details, but as long as Vlad was helping to keep Danny safe, Tucker was glad to have the man on their side.


	14. Chapter 14

Dash shook his head as he walked down the street. An amused smile played across his face. Three days passed since he decided to brave going over to the address that Kwan sent him. It still surprised him that Kwan finally broke away from his parents' control. He knew his best friend never had any ambition to become a doctor, even if he was smart enough to get into medical school. The idea of becoming a doctor was all the dream of Kwan's parents. After bowing to his parents' will for practically all of his life, Kwan really didn't have a direction from what Dash could tell. His friend worked different jobs and took some classes at a local college, but the courses were all random and without focus. That didn't surprise Dash. Kwan was finally free to live his life his way, but he didn't know what to do now that he was in control.

But the thing that amused Dash was how obvious his friend was about his feelings. Dash realized immediately after that little blond man passed through the apartment that Kwan was harboring a humongous crush on him. Kwan always acted like he knew what was best for Dash when it came to relationships. He was always pushing Dash toward the one that he thought was perfect for his friend, which Dash realized with some frustration, was currently Fenton. But when it came to his own love life, Kwan was about as clueless as anyone else. Dash snorted, wondering how long it would have taken Kwan to confess if Dash didn't push him into it. He thought years or never were pretty good guesses, never taking the lead.

Huffing out a sigh, Dash frowned. He thought he would get to spend some more time, beyond sharing a pizza, with his best friend, but Kwan was busy all day with work. That first night, Kwan called their hanging out time short because he wanted to see about doing something date like with his roommate. Dash couldn't blame him after the two knuckleheads were finally open with each other toward their feelings, naturally they would want to go on a date. Since both of them worked a lot and at different hours, they only had limited time to plan a date with each other. Dash got some time the following nights to hang out with Kwan when he got off work and his roommate had a late shift. Kwan managed to avoid the topic of Fenton, but he never needed to say anything to get his point across. Dash knew his friend wanted to beat some sense into him when it came to Fenton, and that fact made Dash's jaw set tightly.

Everything was coming back to Fenton, as frustrating and irritating as that fact was. Even right now, walking down the street, Dash thought he spotted the man who was the source of all his anger over the past year. He knew Kwan thought he was being silly about everything, but Fenton lied to him, not once but twice by pretending to be someone that he wasn't. Anyone would be angry over being tricked like that. Dash actually believed that he was in love with "Danielle" only to be humiliated and heartbroken to discover that "Danielle" was really Fenton.

Maybe holding onto the grudge for well over a year was a bit excessive, but Dash couldn't forgive Fenton. He didn't have anything against homosexuality. It didn't bother him that his best friend was gay, and Dash was thrilled that Kwan finally found someone he liked. It was about time, in Dash's opinion after watching Kwan live the single life through most of high school. He dated here and there, but nothing was ever serious with anyone that Kwan dated. Unlike Kwan though, Dash was not gay. Baxter men simply were not gay. Dash couldn't count the number of times he heard that phrase leave his father's mouth or the number of times he repeated it in his head. But it was true: Dash was not gay.

Late at night when he thought he was finally free, the image of "Danielle" would appear in his dream. They were intense dreams that left him cursing when he woke. Even after all this time when he thought he locked away all those emotions, Dash still liked "Danielle," which only furthered his anger toward Fenton for making him feeling like this toward a woman that didn't exist. Despite everything that went on over the last year, Dash still tried to date every now and then, but none of the women he went out with gave him that same spark. He found, with increasing annoyance, that all the women he dated since that whole incident was raven haired and blue eyed. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he wondered why he couldn't simply get rid his memories and feelings for "Danielle." Everything would have been a lot simpler for him if Fenton was in fact a girl.

Running a hand over his face, Dash wondered why his life had to get so messed up as he entered a small shop on the street. It was bad enough, in his mind, that he was dating Fenton in drag. Then he had to learn that he was also dating his hero! The ghost boy that he idolized over the past four years ever since Danny Phantom first made an appearance in their small town. Ghosts were scary and all, and Dash wasn't ashamed to admit that he ran in fright when one showed up at their high school. He wasn't the only one screaming when a ghost terrorized the town. But Danny Phantom was never scary. Dash always thought he was cool, swooping into the picture to beat up the evil ghosts. He was even proud to admit that he got to help Danny Phantom out, even if it made him sound like some lame sidekick. But it was all another lie that Fenton told. Dash wondered if there even was any true Fenton when all the loser did was lie about everything.

The line before him moved forward, and Dash turned his attention to the menu hanging above the counter to decide what he wanted to order before he reached the front of the line. By the time he made his decision, he stood in front of the counter, barely paying attention to his surroundings. He really needed to get his mind off the whole thing with Fenton, which was only making his anger thrum beneath the surface. Taking his eyes away from the menu, Dash dropped his gaze toward the employee waiting to take his order. His jaw clenched tightly as he glowered at the wide blue eyes of the man's gawking face.

"You have _got_ to be kidding," Dash muttered under his breath, feeling the strong urge to punch someone, specifically the man on the other side of the counter. He turned away, before he could act on the growing desire, as he headed for the door.

"Take over for me, Joanne."

Dash ignored the man's voice and picked up his pace, pushing open the door with a violent shove. He stormed down the street, not caring if he bumped into anyone. A hand grabbed his arm before he even made it to the end of the street. Dash yanked his arm away and turned around to pin a glare on the man that chased after him.

"Dash, can we just talk?"

"Talk about what, Fenton?" Dash demanded, looming over the shorter man. "About all your lies? Forgive me if I stopped caring about anything you have to say." But he did still care. Looking at Fenton standing right before him, Dash could see "Danielle" and that cute way she would blush when he looked at her. It killed him that it was all just lies.

"I never wanted to lie," Fenton said miserably with his gaze lowered, looking about as pathetic as a kicked puppy waiting for someone to take another swing at him.

"Really? So why didn't you just say something from the beginning?" Dash struggled with his feelings. Part of him wanted to start wailing on Fenton and giving the loser the beating of his lifetime. That anger drove them for most of the year, but it was conflicted with lingering feelings toward "Danielle." Fenton was male. Fenton lied. Fenton deserved to suffer. Dash found he had to repeat the mantra more and more as time passed to keep fueling his anger. He had to stomp down on feelings like love because it wasn't real. It _couldn't_ be real. He was a Baxter, and Baxter men weren't gay.

"You're right," Fenton agreed, still refusing to look Dash in the eye. "I should have spoken up the moment you approached me in the movie theater. But I was terrified. There I was _in a dress_ with my biggest bully swooping in to rescue me like some damsel in distress. I panicked! I knew the moment you found out it was me, you would probably kick my ass, and then the whole thing about me in drag would spread all over the school. I was trying to hide from Devon, and if the whole school thought I had some drag fetish thing, then I couldn't use that to hide from him. And I know the whole thing was stupid. If Devon just came to talk to me from the beginning about what was happening, we all could have been spared a lot of shit."

Dash's mouth thinned in a tight line, and hands curled into fists, jaw clenching, as he listened to Fenton ramble. "Why did you even agree to go on a date with me then?" He almost raised a fist to punch Fenton, but somehow he squashed down the urge. Fenton thought he could use Devon as an excuse for everything that happened, but his lies went beyond Devon.

"I meant to say no." Fenton ran his hands through his hair, yanking at the raven locks. "I called you to tell you I couldn't date you. I tried to cut it off before anything got started. But then, when we on the phone, yes came out before I even realized it. And then every time after that, I kept wanting to say no and break it off with you, but whenever I was around you and talked to you, I couldn't say no. Then I started to realize that it wasn't that I couldn't say it but that I didn't want to say it. I," he hesitated, flicking scared eyes to Dash, "started to really fall for you, even though I knew you would only hate me."

"And what? Do you think confessing to me like this will make me forget all the lies and just fall madly in love with you?" Dash sneered down at him. "I'm not gay."

"I know that. Believe me I know." The misery was back in Fenton's eyes, like he really wanted to hope that Dash could return his feelings one day, which made Dash snort. "I just wanted you to know the truth about everything. You deserve to know the truth. I wanted to tell you all this before, but by the time I recovered after the fight, you were already gone. I don't expect this to change anything between us. I don't expect you to forgive me or that we'll somehow be friends after this. I know you hate me, and I know the truth doesn't change anything, but I just needed to tell you everything."

"The guilt from all your lies finally got to you? What about you is even real? You've been a liar since the first day we met." Dash couldn't listen to this anymore. Fenton was merely unloading to make himself feel better, free his conscience from all the guilt eating at him for lying all his life. Dash turned to leave when Fenton grabbed his arm again. This time, Dash reacted on instinct, throwing his arm out until it connected with Fenton's face. It wasn't a conscious thought, and even though he felt the strong desire to hurt the other man, Dash didn't actually mean to punch him.

Fenton held a hand over his eye where Dash's fist struck him. Sorrow was in the sole eye that stared at Dash, but there was no hate in Fenton's eye, like he believed he deserved that, like he would have stood there and let Dash take out his rage on him without even trying to fight back or run. Being Danny Phantom, Fenton surely could fight back if he wanted. For some reason, it only made Dash angrier to see that look on Fenton's face, and somehow the fact that Fenton was willing to accept all blame made Dash feel like he was losing his resolve in his hatred of Fenton.

"I never meant to lie that day either," Fenton said, holding Dash's gaze. "That dress was going to be a present for Sam. I was the same size as her back then, so my mom was fitting it on me to make sure it would be perfect for Sam. I didn't know what to do when you suddenly approached me and kissed me. I was in shock. I didn't get the chance to explain until we saw each other at school when you pushed me."

"Because I'm not gay," Dash growled forcibly.

"I know!" Fenton sighed in exasperation. "And I'm really sorry everything got so crazy. I know I can't say I'm sorry enough for everything that happened. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I know there are plenty of them that I'll never be able to correct, and I know a lot of grudges are going to be held against me even if I never intended to hurt those people. But if I can somehow make it up to you, I'd like to try. I don't want you to just be another person that I hurt and couldn't make things right with."

"What makes you think you can even fix this?" Dash folded his arms, glaring at Fenton. He couldn't see any way that the man could make things right with him.

"Maybe I can't, but I'd at least like to try." Fenton frowned sadly, that kicked puppy look splashing across his face again. He opened his mouth, preparing to speak again, when a shout interrupted him.

"Danny!" At his name, Fenton turned around and groaned. Dash followed the other man's gaze toward a woman with long auburn hair streaking behind her as she jogged toward them.

"Who is that?" Dash almost growled when he saw the love sick look in her emerald eyes as the woman stared solely at Fenton, like he was the only man on the whole street. He already hated her, unconsciously putting himself between Fenton and the woman. She was too pretty and, from the looks of it, too rich.

"Hi, Simone," Fenton greeted the woman awkwardly when she reached them. He laughed weakly, sounding like he wished he could use his ghost powers to vanish.

"I was just thinking about you when poof! There you were." Simone grinned past Dash to Fenton, acting like the jock wasn't even there. "My father is holding this big dinner tonight, and I was hoping," she blushed, shyly casting her gaze to the ground, "that you might come with me."

Dash outright gawked at the woman. How did Fenton even know a high class woman like this Simone person? But the more important question in his mind was: why was she asking him out, like on a date? Fenton could never get a woman like this in high school, and for another matter, Fenton was most definitely gay, if his feelings toward Dash meant anything. Dash turned toward Fenton, glaring at the shorter man. His hate toward the woman increased.

"Uh, you know," Fenton mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as he refused to look at either of the two people in front of him. "I don't think I'd be comfortable at that kind of thing."

_What the hell?_ Dash frowned, his glare darkening. Fenton seriously couldn't help himself when it came to sprouting out lies. "He's gay and not interested, lady," Dash spat out, not caring if it hurt the woman's feelings. It was better to save her from any later heartache by telling her the truth now. Dash only narrowed his eyes pointedly when Fenton gaped at him.

"Well, that is a shame," Simone said, her voice sounding different, and Dash didn't miss the way Fenton tensed or the way a flash of panic entered his blue eyes as he turned to stare at the woman. "I was hoping to do this in a more private setting. After all, you don't want your precious secret being revealed to everyone here, do you?" She smiled sweetly with an innocent flutter of her eyes, which were no longer emerald but blood red.

"Dash, get out of here," Fenton ordered, his stature changing immediately from shy, awkward loser to confident, ghost fighting hero.

Dash tried not to think too hard about how that sudden shift in Fenton actually impressed him. He didn't even need to question what was happening to understand. If Fenton was preparing to fight a ghost, then clearly the woman beside him, red eyes and all, was possessed by a ghost. Dash glanced about, noting the more than a dozen people wandering the street.

"And what exactly do you plan to do, _Fenturd_?" Dash sneered as he used one of his old insults for the loser. "You can't really use any of your powers out here in the open."

"I know that," Fenton growled, his eyes flashing green for a brief moment.

Simone, or the ghost possessing her, laughed, a shrill sort of sound, as a cruel grin curled across her face, twisting her beauty into something ugly. "That makes this so much easier." She reached out a hand toward Dash, the closer of the two men to her, as a soft red glow surrounded her hand.

Dash stared blankly at the hand, barely registering Fenton's shout. It occurred to him belatedly that there was something about the whole situation. The burst exploded from the woman's hand right as Fenton slammed into him, knocking the jock out of the way of the blast. Hitting the ground, Dash yelped at the pain that jerked up his arm from his elbow banging against the concrete. Pushing past that, he snapped his head around with surprised round eyes. After all the angry words Dash threw at him, Fenton still acted the hero, putting himself in danger to save someone like Dash as people around them screamed.

Simone's human body lay unconscious on the ground beside Dash, the ghost finally revealing its true form as a female ghost with shadowy waves of hair twisting in the air. Her red eyes gleamed in delight after striking Fenton with the blast that left a dark mark over his forearm that he used to protect himself with after shoving Dash out of the way. She still wore a cruel smile over her sickly pale green face. The nails of her hands were sharp like claws and inky black that twisted over the pale green of her skin.

"How long were you hiding in her?" Fenton demanded, his eyes casting around for some place to duck behind so that he might transform without anyone spotting him. At the sight of the ghost, everyone ran away screaming, but there were still eyes around that could be watching.

"Well before you met her on the beach." The ghost curled her fingers, itching to attack again while Fenton was vulnerable. "Did you think you were the only one capable of suppressing your energy?" She tilted her head as her smirk stretched wider, almost reaching from ear to ear and splitting her face in half. "A simple trick that any fool could master if they actually tried."

Dash really didn't have a clue what was happening beyond the usual ghost attack that he really couldn't care less about at this point, except that he somehow ended up getting dragged into yet another one of Fenton's messes. Climbing to his feet, Dash rubbed at his still sore elbow as he scowled at the pair before him. At another point in time, he might have been happy to once again help out his hero, but after so much lying from Fenton, Dash wasn't sure if he still cared.

That was a lie.

"Hey, freak face," Dash shouted at the ghost. "Why don't you go back to the hell you came from? Fenton hasn't done anything to you."

Fenton blinked at Dash in surprise before shaking his head. "Dash, just go," he ordered, his voice sounding more commanding than anything Dash could remember hearing come out of the loser. "I don't want you getting involved, or hurt." His eyes snapped back to the ghost, fists clenching at his sides.

"I think you're a bit late on that," Dash growled with his mouth a tight line as he glared at Fenton.

"Oh, how sweet," the ghost said in a sickly sugary voice as she sneered. "The two lovebirds are having a spat."

"We're not lovebirds," Dash shouted, wanting to punch the ghost in the face, but of course he knew that wasn't possible. He couldn't physically hurt the ghost with his fist.

The ghost ignored his outburst completely as she continued talking. "Maybe I should just put one of you out of your misery." She held up both hands, one toward Fenton and the other toward Dash. "Now which one of you should I kill?" The red glow flickered on the hand directed toward Dash as she smirked cruelly.

"You think some pathetic threat like that is going to scare us?" Dash placed his hands on his hips as he snorted at the ghost. She didn't look like much of threat, and if Fenton wasn't afraid of exposure, he could probably take her out easily.

The question wiped the smirk right off her face as the ghost snapped her attention toward him. "Oh, but I'm not the one you should _really_ be scared of."

"What-" The question that was on both men's minds cut short when the ground beneath their feet turned liquid. Dash shot his gaze toward Fenton as sticky black goo crawled up his body from the shadows under him. Fenton clawed at the substance in an attempt to free himself, but his fingers slipped right through the goo that refused to be pried off his body. Something crawled up his leg, and Dash jerked away as a shot of fear pierced through him. His feet were glued to the ground, sinking into the shadows that crawled up him drawing him like it meant to devour him whole. Panicking, Dash grabbed at the black stuff, much like Fenton was doing, but he didn't have any better luck. Every time he grabbed hold of the goo, it melted through his fingers and crept up his arm.

"What the hell is this?" Dash shouted furiously as the goo clinging to his body dragged him farther into the shadows.

"Pleasant dreams," the ghost said sweetly, and her smirking face was the last thing Dash saw before being yanked violently into darkness.


	15. Chapter 15

The moment the black substance started crawling up his body, Danny knew he was in trouble. Maybe if he used his ghost powers, phased through it, he could escape, but he was out on the open street and completely exposed to witnesses learning about his secret identity. He tried to remain calm in this situation, scrambling to free himself from the goo, but every swipe at it passed right through the liquid like substance. It stuck to his hands like molasses and continued to spread over his body. He cursed at his rotten luck, at his slowness to realize the danger lurking hidden in Simone. He thought he was one of only ghosts that knew how to suppress his energy. Vlad knew how to do it as well, a necessity Danny decided after the war if Vlad ever visited Fenton Works again. Their time together in the war changed Danny's opinion of the older half ghost, who saved his life countless times now as they fought side by side. Vlad could visit whenever he liked, but as with Ember, there was the risk of his presence setting off random devices if he wasn't careful.

Danny never anticipated that another ghost knew how to suppress its energy or that it would lurk inside Simone. He wondered how much of the woman they all met was the real Simone or simply the ghost pulling at the woman's memory to play the part. Whenever he overshadow a person, Danny never dove into their minds, only ever accessing control over their movement and speech. A person's mind was private, and even at times when he was seriously tempted, he resisted the urge to glance at the hidden memories within the people he possessed. But he knew there were plenty of ghosts that enjoyed being able to root around in a person's mind while they overshadow some poor human.

When he glanced over and saw Dash struggling to fight off the same black goo, Danny's heart stopped in panic. Yet again, Dash was dragged into Danny's ghostly problems despite the half ghost's wish to keep him out of it. This would only add to the growing list of reasons for Dash to hate him, and Danny feared this was only creating another Valerie in his life. But as he was yanked into the darkness, Danny couldn't understand why the ghost felt it necessary to drag Dash into this too. He didn't even know what he did to anger this ghost, never meeting it before until it revealed itself now. The ghost could have released Dash and taken Danny alone. Danny cursed at the fact that Dash was too stubborn and pig headed to run away like Danny ordered. Dash couldn't do anything to fight against the ghost, making it all the more pointless for the jock to hang back to antagonize the ghost.

The darkness lifted after only a moment, and Danny transformed in mid fall, managing to gain some measure of flight to catch Dash before they both splattered cross the floor of the warehouse where they reappeared. Danny lowered Dash to the floor as his glowing green eyes scanned the warehouse for some sign of a ghostly attack. Nothing was in the warehouse, merely a big empty space with a few support beams spotting the area. Spray paint blacked out the windows, but the job was rushed, leaving plenty of gaps to allow light into the building while still casting dark shadows all around the space.

"What the hell just happened?" Dash demanded, shrugging out of Danny's lingering hold that the half ghost failed to realize he still had on the man.

Danny shook his head, still scanning for an enemy. "The shadow must have acted as a portal to transport us here. But why the ghost brought us here, I have no idea."

"I should have just stayed away from this damn town," Dash muttered as he walked toward the exit of the warehouse. When he reached it, he tried the door only to find it wouldn't budge. They were locked in, a problem for a mere human, but Danny could easily phase them right out of the warehouse.

"Then why did you come back?" Danny frowned, remaining in the middle of the warehouse where he floated.

"Some evil ghost just transported us to some random warehouse, and you just want to chat about something meaningless?" Dash spun around to glare at him. "You don't think maybe it would be wiser to get the hell out of here?"

Danny rolled his eyes, knowing he shouldn't have expected anything less from Dash. He should have known Dash wouldn't want to discuss anything of real meaning, not with him anyway. Floating over to where Dash stood, Danny touched down on the ground beside the jock. "You're the one that brought up not returning here."

Dash wouldn't look at the other man, like Danny was that loser freshman again whose presence wasn't even worth acknowledging. "Maybe I came back to hurt you," he mumbled with his arms folded over his chest.

Danny couldn't tell if the man meant to be overheard or if the thought merely slipped out by accident. Either way, it felt like Dash punched a hole right through him. If that really was Dash's sole purpose, then he just succeeded in his mission. Danny lowered his gaze, hoping his misery didn't show on his face to give Dash the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurt Danny to know the person he loved hated him that much.

"Whatever," Danny muttered, trying to sound angry rather than heartbroken. He reached out a hand toward the door to phase them through it. Sparks of blue spreading out from where he touched the door was Danny's first warning, but he couldn't react fast enough. Pain shot through his arm, tearing a scream from Danny as he flew back from the door. He landed hard on his back, grunting and feeling like a million ants, all with sharp spiky legs, were crawling all over his body. Sound rang in his ears, the high pitched squeal being the only thing he could hear. Dash's face swam above him, and though the jock's mouth moved, Danny couldn't make out what he said. Raising a fist, Dash brought it down hard upon the half ghost's chest, and Danny gasped, body arching as suddenly he could breathe again. Danny wasn't even aware that he stopped breathing until he was sucking in desperate, greedy lungfuls in between shaky coughs.

"What the hell just happened?" Dash shouted, panic almost in his voice as he grabbed hold of the half ghost's shoulders.

Lifting his head, Danny stared at the jock as he focused his vision to stop blurring. The ringing faded away, allowing normal sound to return to him. "I - I don't know," he whispered, holding onto Dash's arms to keep him steady. His body still trembled after the enormous shock from the door. "I don't think phasing out of here is an answer though." He swallowed, and it felt like a ball of dry cotton trying to scrape through a thin straw, almost making him choke.

"I kind of figured that when it blasted you back like a pathetic ragdoll." Despite the harsh words, a hint of worry flashed in the dark blue of Dash's eyes.

"You should have just run," Danny whispered as he hung his head. "I didn't want you getting dragged into my problems. Why are you so damn stubborn?"

"What a touching scene." Clapping drew both their attention toward the source high above them where the ghost from before floated. She smiled cruelly down at them as her hands glowed red.

"What do you want, you spectral freak?" Dash shouted as he stood, glaring up at the ghost. "Why take the fight here when you could have had your way back on the street?"

Danny let his legs melt into a wispy tail, still feeling too shaky to stand on his feet. Floating into the air, he balled his hands into fists, his jaw clenching tightly. He still couldn't figure out this ghost's game, but his first concern was getting Dash out of the danger zone. A ball of sparking green energy formed in his palm, a baseball sized chaotic mass that he shrank into a denser ball that would give off a stronger blast on impact.

"Dash, get ready to run," Danny warned as he took aim. The ghost cackled in amusement as Danny drew back his arm to throw the ball. Clearly the attack wasn't seen as much of a threat to the ghost, but Danny ignored her. Twisting around, he launched the energy ball at the door of the warehouse. The setup of the warehouse might prevent his ability to phase out of it, but Danny doubted the walls of this rundown warehouse could withstand a powerful attack. Once the doors were blown off, Dash would be able to escape, as long as the jock put away his stubbornness.

When the energy ball collided with the door, a bang echoed through the warehouse. Danny stared numbly, his mouth parting slightly in shock when his attack did nothing more than dent the door, leaving a black scorch mark on the metal. The ghost continued to cackled at the half ghost's attempt to open an escape route out of the warehouse.

"Did you think we wouldn't be prepared?" she asked, red eyes dancing with amusement.

"Who exactly is we?" Danny demanded, frustrated that he couldn't figure out a way to escape this mess. "I don't see anyone else trapped in this stupid warehouse."

"Uh, Fenton," Dash called, the smallest hint of fear creeping into his strong voice. When Danny glanced down at him, Dash pointed at something behind the half ghost.

Frowning at the shock and worry mixing on Dash's face, Danny turned around, wondering what had the jock concerned. He gulped at the gathering mass of shadows looming over him. The shadow looked similar to the one Danny encountered after that lunch at the Nasty Burger with the possessed Simone. Its face beaked as well, but the mouth parted, stretching in a wide smirk as inky strings dripped from its lips. This time, it had two eyes, the red gleaming brightly with evil intent, and it was larger than when Danny faced it in the alleyway. Danny didn't even sense it approaching him, and dread trickled down his spine like an icy drop of water. If it could suppress its energy too, then it purposely allowed Danny to sense it the first time, drawing him out for a fight.

"We meet again, Phantom." The shadow spoke in a deep, gravelly voice that surprised the half ghost. Lashing out its arm, its clawed hand seized Danny's throat in a lightning fast movement that Danny couldn't dodge, couldn't even follow. "This time, things won't go as well for you." It pulled Danny closer until their faces were inches apart and Danny gagged at the decaying stench of its breath. It searched Danny's glowing green eyes like it expected to find something there. "Still hiding away, are we? Well, you don't have much longer now."

That comment confused Danny, and his brow wrinkled in thought as he struggled to pry the hand free from his throat. The claw pierced lightly into his skin, making Danny cringe as a small amount of blood was drawn from the punctured wounds. He couldn't puzzle out the meaning behind what the shadow said, still thinking it strange that the shadow could speak at all. Johnny's shadow never had the ability of speech.

"Fight it!" Dash shouted in alarm.

"Easier if I knew how to defeat it," Danny growled back through clenched teeth. Stopping his attempt to free his throat from his throat, Danny fired several energy balls at the shadows face.

The attacks riddled the shadow with holes, but not even a scream was ripped from the shadow's throat. It laughed instead as its body reformed, completely undamaged by the barrage of attacks. Tightening its grip around the half ghost's throat, the shadow opened its smirking maw when a suddenly bright beam of white tore through its arm, severing it from its body. A pained shriek rocked the warehouse as the shadow held its stump of an arm. The hold loosened, allowing Danny to yank the hand free and toss the arm away as it dissolved into nothingness.

An enraged scream drew Danny's attention away from shadow being slowly drawing more shadows into itself to regain its missing arm. The female ghost tore through the air toward Dash as her hands glowed red. Panic and rage mingled as Danny watched the ghost get close to striking range. He fired a quick blast, throwing the ghost off course so that she crashed into the floor. Dash snapped his glare around onto Danny.

"Watch your back!" Dash shouted, raising a blaster that Danny never even noticed the jock held. At the whir of the blaster charging, Danny turned intangible on instinct. When the shot from the blaster tore right past him, missing him by inches, Danny twisted around to see the blast nail the shadow's hand reaching for him. The shadow shrieked again as a hole ripped through its hand. The edges of the hole burned white hot, and shadow sliced its arm free as the hole increased in size. Rage flashed in its red eyes as it glared at the two men.

"I'd ask about why you have that damn thing and didn't use it sooner," Danny said, shooting a quick glare at Dash as the fact that Dash was carrying around an ecto blaster of some sort continued to confuse Danny. "But it seems to be working fairly well against this guy. You take him, and I'll take the ghost?" He flew higher into the air as the shadow reached for him again, and a blinding white beam pierced the shadow's arm. At least, Dash was a good shot with that blaster.

"I don't take orders from you," Dash grumbled as Danny flew at him, phasing right through him to tackle the ghost that floated behind the jock as she prepared to attack him. Dash glanced briefly over his shoulder as Danny blasted the ghost into the wall of the warehouse. Then his attention snapped back to the shadow, and Dash fired several more shots into it, earning shrieks as each burning hole melted away the shadows form, forcing it to reduce its size by shaving away the parts that were being eaten by the light. "This idea, however, seems to be working quite well. But don't think this changes anything between us."

"Wasn't even thinking that," Danny muttered irritably as he dodged the ghost's red energy ball. Spinning on one foot, he round house kicked the ghost, using a little energy to blast her backward into the wall. He could let himself be depressed over this whole encounter with Dash later, when he didn't have a ghost and a shadow after his life. But he still threw quick glances at Dash during the fight to see how the jock fared against the shadow. Dash managed to keep it at bay, but his shirt was slashed open, three angry red lines carved across his chest, though the wounds didn't look too bad from Danny's perspective.

When a fist connected with his face, Danny realized, painfully, that he should really keep his focus on his own battle. Catching the ghost's arm, he twisted it back and around behind her.

"Unhand me, you impure ecto entity!" The ghost struggled against his hold, hissing at him like a wounded cat.

"What do you two want from me?" Danny demanded as he twisted the arm enough to produce a small yelp of pain from the ghost. It wasn't unusual to run into a ghost that simply wanted to fight him because he was Danny Phantom or had motives that didn't involve him at all. Plenty of his old foes weren't even looking to fight him the first time they met. He simply got in the way of their plans. But the way the shadow spoke to him before made Danny think there was personal vendetta behind this attack, and Danny wanted to know the reason.

"As if you don't know," the ghost growled, casting a furious glare over her shoulder at him. A cruel smirk spread over her face suddenly, making Danny blink in surprise at the sudden change in expression. "I think we've toyed with you long enough. If you won't come out, we'll make you."

Her hand twisted around, and the energy ball blasted him before Danny could react, hitting him square in the chest. He screamed as the attack ripped right through him with the feeling that he was being literally torn apart, like he was finally experiencing his parents' constant threat of being destroyed molecule by molecule. The sensation lasted for ages, though it was probably merely seconds passing in the real world. When he hit the ground, Danny couldn't move, too drained to do much more than glance about the warehouse.

Smirking in victory, the ghost stepped over Danny, paying him little mind as she walked away from him. Danny forced his body to move, groaning, screaming at the agony of simply trying to move as he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself onto his hands and knees. When he followed the ghost to where she walked, Danny couldn't breathe, his mind struggling to understand what happened. His ghost half lay before him, trapped within a net of red ectoplasm. Over the past five years, Danny often wished he could live a normal life without having to deal with all the chaos that came with fighting ghosts. But now that he was kneeling here with his ghost half forcibly ripped away from, he wished he never even had such thoughts.

"We have what we came for," the ghost called as she lifted the net holding Phantom from the ground.

With a shout like a battle cry, Danny launched to his feet, lunging at the ghost and grabbing for the net. But his hands wrapped around empty air, the ghost, net, and Phantom all vanishing out of sight. His knees slammed against the hard stone flooring as he collapsed, stunned by the loss of his ghost half. He couldn't feel anything, like the removal of his ghost side deadened all his senses beyond the gaping hole inside him like when Dash left but more intense. His eyes stared blankly at where he last saw the white haired ghost with his glowing green eyes wide with shock. Balling his hands and clenching his jaw, Danny tried with all his strength to transform, to become a ghost again, but he remained simply Danny Fenton, completely human. He was no longer Danny Phantom. He was nothing at all. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks without it even registering in his mind that he was crying. He didn't even notice when Dash came to stand before him. He was utterly, hopelessly lost, not knowing what to do now. How could he even hope to retrieve his ghost half when he didn't know where the ghost and shadow went?


	16. Chapter 16

He thought they could simply walk out of the warehouse, or phase out since the door was locked. Dash didn't expect to watch Fenton fly backward after barely touching the door for a second. "Danny!" The name tore out of him the instant he saw Fenton hit the ground and remain there unmoving. He rushed over to the half ghost, shouting at him, but Fenton didn't respond to him in any way. It didn't even seem like Fenton was breathing! Dash didn't even know if ghost's actually had to breathe since it seemed like they wouldn't need to when they were dead. Not knowing what to do, Dash panicked and slammed a fist down on the half ghost's chest. A startled shout almost escaped him when Fenton finally jerked alive again, gasping for air. Dash's heart raced, relief flooding him to see that the shock hadn't killed Fenton.

From there, the situation didn't get much better. Dash was prepared to sit back and let Fenton deal with the threat, being the hero and all. But when the freaky shadow thing grabbed hold of Fenton, Dash realized he needed to act. Reaching behind him, he retrieved the ecto blaster that he kept on him whenever he went out nowadays. He set it to full power then aimed it at the shadow. He waited a brief second, giving Fenton a chance to come up with some plan before Dash squeezed the trigger. His shot tore straight through the black arm, allowing Fenton to free himself and surprising Dash that it was actually effective against the shadow.

They made a good team, really. Dash hated to admit that since he still hated Fenton for everything that happened, but given the situation, working together seemed like his best option. Since his blaster worked well on the shadow, Fenton left him to deal with it while he fought the ghost. Dash would have chosen this fighting arrangement even without Fenton saying anything, but it was hardly the time to get into an argument with the half ghost about who was the leader.

Focusing his attention on the shadow, Dash fired at it again and again, riddling its body full of holes that forced the shadow to shave off parts of its body as the holes widened, eating away at its substance. Screeches of fury left the shadow as it slashed with its arms, sharp claws tearing through the air. Dash dodged, diving to the side and rolling onto one knee. A well placed blast tore off one arm, but the second arm came down too fast for the man to react in time. Dash shoved his body backward, and the sharp claws ripped through his shirt, cutting the flesh of his chest. His teeth clenched tightly, and a deep throated growl rumbled through him at the pain stinging through his torso. With fury in his dark blue eyes, Dash aimed and blasted the shadow right through its wide open mouth. The being stood before him, arms still outstretched with its head blown clean off its shoulder. Then the shadow's body collapsed, melting onto the floor like a puddle of oil.

Dash aimed his blaster at it, praying he still had enough juice left in it if the shadow attacked him again. But a sudden scream from Fenton tore his attention away from his opponent. Dash twisted around as Fenton hit the ground in his human form. With a cold sense of dread, Dash raced toward Fenton. He didn't see what happened, but from the way Fenton lay unmoving on the floor, Dash assumed it was bad. A sudden force collided with him, knocking him onto the ground with a grunt. His blaster dislodged from his hand, skittering across the warehouse floor and out of reach. Stretching out his arm, he tried to draw his body forward, out from under the weight holding him pinned to the ground.

"We have what we came for." The ghost's announcement drew a victorious laugh from the shadow on top of him.

Dash turned his head to where the female ghost stood. His expression fell, his whole being freezing at the sight of Danny Phantom trapped within the red net that the ghost held. His gaze darted toward Fenton as the raven haired man climbed to his feet with a loud roar. Dash couldn't make sense of it, the question floating around in his head: how were Danny Phantom and Fenton split in two? It happened in slow motion, Fenton charging forward and desperately reaching out for his other half. Only he was too late, and the female ghost vanished along with Danny Phantom. The moment they were gone, the weight on top of Dash faded away, the shadow running away now that their purpose was fulfilled.

Shakily getting to his feet, Dash walked over to where Fenton knelt, tears spilling from his deadened blue eyes. His jaw clenched, and Dash forced himself to look away from the sight before him. Fenton looked utterly broken after having his ghost half ripped away from him. Despite all his anger and hatred toward the other man, that miserable look of utter loss was killing Dash. He wanted to hurt Fenton, even admitted it right to Fenton's face, but this felt like it was going overboard to Dash. His chest actually hurt when he saw how devastated Fenton was at this moment.

Not sure what to do now, Dash walked over and retrieved his blaster from where it landed. At least, they could probably bust the door open with it. He lowered the damage output back to the normal setting since he wouldn't need to use full power against a door that was already dented. Turning back to Fenton, Dash frowned when he saw the man still didn't move, still stunned over the loss of half his being. He tried to think of something to say, but there really wasn't any words of comfort he could offer the man after what happened to him.

The windows shattered, raining down shards of glass onto the floor of the warehouse. Dash snapped his head toward the source of the sudden attack, aiming his blaster at whomever sought to fight them. When a familiar red suited woman soared through the broken window, riding on a speed board, Dash lowered his weapon and heaved a sigh of relief.

"Where were you?" Dash demanded of the hunter who dropped to the ground. "You missed all the action, Valerie."

"It was hard to find you after you randomly vanished off my tracker." Valerie pulled back to the helmet of her suit. "What exactly happened there? The tracker went all static and I had to do a full sweep of the town to relocate your position."

"The ghost used some sort of portal or teleportation ability to bring us here." Dash shrugged, not having a better explanation for her. "But they fled so we can get out of here."

"I believe there's still one piece of business to take care of." Valerie retrieved a dart gun from her holster and took aim at Fenton, who was still frozen in grief.

When he saw it, Dash quickly fired at her, the blast knocking the gun from her hand. "What are you doing?" he demanded angrily while Valerie nursed her sore hand. "He's human now. You have no reason to attack him."

Valerie's cold eyes narrowed at him as anger twisted upon her face. "Are you forgetting all the crap he put us through? Weren't you the one that thought he deserved to suffer?"

Dash flicked his gaze to Fenton, seeing those miserable blue eyes staring up at him. Everything in Fenton's expression was filled with agony. "And he's suffered enough." Dash lowered his blaster, frowning at Valerie. "Yes, I'm angry with him, and I hate him for what he did. But maybe," he sighed, shaking his head at a loss for a moment. "Maybe it's time to let that hate go. Maybe it's time to just forgive and forget. Being angry all the time is exhausting. Fenton made a mistake. Who hasn't?"

"He ruined our lives!" Valerie shouted as she whipped out another weapon from her suit. "And he's going to pay for that!" She took aim at Fenton again.

Dash charged forward, putting himself between the unmoving Fenton and Valerie. The blast seared his already wounded chest, and he held back a shout at the fire burning across the claw marks. Lifting furious blue eyes, he glowered at Valerie. "You have to let that go!" He stomped toward Valerie, who didn't back down but pointed her weapon point blank at his chest. "He didn't intend for your father to lose his job or for you to fall from popularity or for you to have to live in crappy apartment. He feels bad about what happened with you. Maybe if you actually gave him the chance to apologize, you could finally put all this hate behind you and move on with your life."

Valerie snorted, shaking her head. "I thought you finally saw past all his bull shit lies to see what he really is: an evil that needs to be eradicated from this world. But apparently he's corrupted you again with his lies." The gun in her hands whirled to life. "I don't know how he survived that poison before, but I'm going to end him this time. Move aside, or I'll have to hurt you."

Dash grabbed at the weapon, forcing it upward as Valerie pulled the trigger to send a blast streaking toward the roof. After a year of training with Valerie, Dash knew the woman was a fierce opponent at hand to hand combat, but he had superior strength that he could use against her. Valerie struggled to free the gun from his grip, growling in her frustration. Adjusting his grip, Dash twisted the gun around hard, tangling Valerie's arms. Then he thrust the gun at her, slamming the butt of the gun into her chin. Grip lost, Valerie fell onto her back, holding her aching jaw in her hands.

"He didn't corrupt me with his lies," Dash growled, throwing the gun aside as he towered over Valerie's fallen form. "I just realized I didn't want to end up like you. I don't want to be ruled by my anger and vengeance. I only wanted to hurt him the way he hurt me. But killing him?" He gawked at Valerie, hardly believe this was the same woman that used to be his friend. "You need some serious help, and I only hope one day you'll actually get it. But I swear if I see you coming after Fenton again, I will stop you. Stay away from him."

Valerie climbed to her feet, drawing herself up to her full height as she glared coldly into his eyes. "You better watch him then because next time I come across him, I _will_ kill him." When Dash didn't flinch at her threat, Valerie's right eye twitched, and she stepped away from him. The speed board sprung from her feet, allowing her to hover in the air. She glowered at him one last time, like she was waiting for him to come to his senses. Then she pulled the helmet back over her head. Turning the speed board around, she shot back out the broken window, leaving the two men alone in the warehouse.

Sighing, Dash let his shoulders sag, some of the tension melting away. He raked a hand through his blond locks as he wondered what was wrong with him. That morning, he probably would have fought alongside Valerie to beat up Fenton, but after all of Fenton's pleading and that damn look on his face after losing his ghost half, all his resolve to hurt Fenton broke.

"You could have just let her kill me," Fenton mumbled from behind him.

Dash turned around and found that miserable look still on Fenton's face. It was like the raven haired man didn't want to go on anymore now that he lost his superhero persona. "Look, Fenton." Dash crouched down in front of the man. "I still hate you, and I did want to make you suffer. Because I was angry, and I was letting it rule over me. But you made me realize something today. I _don't_ want to turn out like Valerie. So I'm going to try not to hate you so much."

Fenton lowered his head, his hands squeezing tightly around his knees. "I really never wanted to hurt you, Dash." When he lifted his head, his brow creased in thought. "You were the hunter in black that day. The one that caught me around the throat with that line I couldn't phase through."

"Yeah," Dash mumbled, no longer proud of any actions he made recently. "After I left here, Valerie offered to help me take my revenge on you, and I was angry enough to accept. Looking back on it, it was probably as stupid as you dressing up like a girl." A smidgeon of his anger burned through him, and he struggled to squash it down again. "But you-" He pursed his lips, resisting that old urge to punch Fenton. "I fell in love with you, Fenton. I wouldn't be so angry about this if you were a girl."

"Because of course, I have to be the loser that falls in love with a straight man." Fenton climbed to his feet, wiping at his eyes in a very poor attempt be subtle about the tears rolling from his red, puffy eyes.

"Baxter men aren't gay." Dash rose to his feet. "I heard that every day of my life, practically had it beaten into me." He sighed as he folded his arms. "We should probably be focusing more on the fact that you just had half of you ripped out of you. I'm guessing going to your parents would be a stupid suggestion. So where do we go? Your friends?"

Danny stared, his blue eyes wide with surprise. "Why do you want to help me? There's no ghost around to fight, and Valerie's not trying to kill me at the moment."

"Which by the way, I didn't know she shot you with poison," Dash said firmly. When she mentioned it, Dash didn't have the time to really digest it, being too busy stopping her from actually succeeding in taking Fenton's life. "I honestly had no knowledge of that. My intention was never to actually try to kill you. As for helping you, well, if I'm ever going to forgive you, I might as well watch your back."

"I guess we better get out of here." Fenton started toward the bent door with Dash following after him. "I can't really do much now that I'm," there was a small pause in his step before he continued walking, "human. We'll have to go to Vlad and probably have to employ the help of some ghosts to track down the ones we faced off here." He frowned, searching for answers to some question that Dash didn't know. "But if they can suppress their energies, tracking them down might prove difficult."

"But why exactly did they want your ghost half?" Dash busted open the door, allowing them to finally be free of the warehouse. From the look of their surroundings, he guessed they were on the edge of Amity Park. But with his speed board, they would be able to reach any destination fairly quickly.

"I honestly have no idea," Danny admitted with dread in his eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

Vlad tapped his finger on the table as he sat deep in thought. Since the day of his meeting with young Mr. Long then Daniel turning up shot full of poison, Vlad thought about the theories Kwan had concerning Daniel's blackouts. He didn't like the idea that Daniel maybe didn't recover all of his energy after using that raw power attack against past enemies. The dual personality was a troubling theory that made Vlad feel all the more concerned about Daniel's condition. He felt uneasy when he thought maybe this second personality arose because the real Daniel was still weak and easily overpowered by the other personality.

But that wasn't entirely right. Vlad pursed his lips, growing frustrated when the answers didn't present themselves to him. Someone, or something, was drawing out this second personality in Daniel, and the questions were who and why. That other personality refused to give any answers when it came out while Daniel was dying from the poison. It clammed up tight and drew back into Daniel, burying itself under the true Daniel. Vlad stroked at his chin, finding that strange. This second personality wasn't seeking to assume control over Daniel in moments of weakness. It merely happened then the personality forced the true Daniel back to the surface before it could let anything near the truth slip.

The doorbell rang insistently, and Vlad frowned as he stood, his thoughts scattering to the wind because of the irritating interruption. He stormed down the hallway, hoping it wouldn't be some annoying solicitor trying to sell him life insurance or something equally pointless. At the front door, he yanked it open, presenting whoever was on the doorstep with his foulest scowl. But at seeing who arrived at his house, Vlad blinked in surprise.

"Daniel?" Vlad turned his frown onto the blond man behind the young half ghost. This taller, muscular man wasn't one of Daniel's friends that Vlad met before, though from the looks of him, the man could have been a football teammate of Kwan. "I thought you were working right now."

"I was," Daniel agreed as he pushed his way into the mansion without waiting for an invitation, a clear sign that something was seriously wrong. His friend was a little more hesitant, following Daniel inside at a slower pace. "But something came up." Daniel gritted his teeth, looking agitated about something. His eyes were red and a little puffy, and Vlad didn't miss the tear tracks staining his cheeks.

"What happened?" Frowning, Vlad closed the door. His gaze flicked only briefly to the other man, trying to determine the reason for this stranger's presence, but he returned his focus on Daniel. The torn shirt and blood splattered over the blond man's chest was a sure sign that a fight took place.

"First, we should probably take care of Dash," Daniel said, glancing for a second at the blond man before turning away like it was painful to look at him. Then the memory returned to Vlad, and he almost smacked himself in the forehead for forgetting. Back then his mind was once again circling with concern for the young half ghost that he didn't give much of his attention to the young man that Daniel was so badly crushing on and secretly dating under the guise of "Danielle Masters" beyond recognizing the blond man as a good match for Daniel.

"I have a first aid kit in my kitchen." Vlad led the way down the hallway toward the kitchen.

"I suppose this Masters jerk being a family friend wasn't a lie," Dash muttered but didn't attempt to be quiet in his comment.

Vlad sneered at being called a jerk by some punk kid who was a complete fool to throw away his relationship with Daniel simply because he fell in love with a man. He might not like Dash, though his experience with the young man was limited, but he could understand Daniel's attraction to him. Dash was a strong, physical person, and Vlad had to assume somewhat intelligent if Dash was tutoring Daniel for a while in high school. He had good qualities that would naturally draw Daniel's attention. But from what Vlad understood after everything that happened with Daeva, Dash rejected Daniel when he learned the truth. He glanced over his shoulder, eying the blond man with curiosity as he wondered why Dash came to his mansion with Daniel. Answers would come soon enough. Their first task, of course, was tending to the wounded.

"Take off that rag," Vlad ordered as he retrieved the first aid kit from a lower cabinet.

The shirt was barely hanging onto the blond man's broad chest, the bloody fabric torn to shreds in the front. Vlad thrust the white box with a red cross upon the lid into Daniel's arm, leaving it to the young half ghost to care for his wounded love. Folding his arms, Vlad leaned back against the counter while Dash removed what remained of his shirt. Daniel shot a not very subtle glare at Vlad as he opened the kit and grabbed some disinfectant to clean up the scratches on Dash's chest.

"Care to explain what exactly happened?" Vlad lifted a single eyebrow at the pair of men.

Daniel sighed tiredly. "We were talking on the street."

"When that bimbo showed up," Dash muttered with a glower out the kitchen window. Vlad kept his face neutral, but on the inside, he was smirking at Dash's response. Daniel probably missed it, being too busy wiping the scratch marks clean, but Vlad was certain he caught a hint of jealousy in the blond man.

"Simone is not a bimbo," Daniel grumbled, missing yet another flash of anger from Dash while his head was bowed. "Oh!" His head snapped up, eyes widening. "I forgot all about her. We left her passed out on the sidewalk."

"I'm sure she's fine." Dash sneered as he grabbed a roll of bandages from Daniel's hands to dress the wounds himself. "I'm sure some idiotic knight in shining armor will come to her rescue."

Daniel frowned in confusion at Dash then tossed his puzzled look to Vlad, who shrugged and pretended to be clueless on the matter. Sometimes, Daniel could be too dense about things, which often left Vlad shaking his head at the young half ghost. "Anyway," Daniel continued as he sat at the kitchen table, rubbing at his forehead, "we got attacked by a ghost that was possessing Simone. Apparently, the ghost knows how to suppress her energy because I never knew Simone was possessed when I met her before." He sighed tiredly, looking unusually drained. "Thankfully, Dash was there to help me fight them."

"Them?" Vlad glanced curiously at Dash, wondering how the man could be much help in a fight against ghosts.

"Yes, them." Dash tossed the roll of bandages into the first aid kit after he was finished. "Other than that bitch, there was this weird shadow thing. We fought, and-" He frowned as he glanced at Daniel, clearly coming to the heart of the matter.

Utter misery came over Daniel's face, and he raked a hand through his raven locks. "They took my ghost half," he whispered, hanging his head.

"What?" Vlad shouted, pushing away from the counter as he moved to stand over Daniel. "What do you mean they took your ghost half? How could you allow something like that to happen?" He grabbed Daniel by the chin and forced the young man to raise his head. Looking over the half ghost, Vlad searched him almost like he could see the physical evidence left behind by the ghost half being ripped out of the young man. Kwan's theory rattled through Vlad's brain, and this news felt even more startling to him. If Daniel never recovered all of his spent energy, what would happen to him now that his ghost half was gone?

"Hey!" Dash cut in, breaking Vlad's hold on Daniel as he stepped between them. "It wasn't like he meant for it to happen. And you don't have to make him feel any worse about it than he already does."

The hard glare in the man's eyes nearly made Vlad laugh. Dash was sadly deluded if he thought he felt nothing for Daniel simply because he was male. But now was not the time to focus on Daniel's love life. They needed to get Daniel's ghost half back before something terrible happened. He stormed out of the kitchen and back to the front hall as he wondered why this ghost and shadow would seek to take Daniel's ghost half. An idea felt like it was forming in his head, but it couldn't quite free itself from the tangle of his thoughts.

"Ember!" Vlad roared up the staircase for the singer.

"Yeah, boss?" Ember appeared within seconds of being called, looking happier than she usually did. Vlad attributed that to her new relationship with Paulina, who were getting along quite well before the rest of them entered the room to enjoy the display of shooting stars. Vlad suspected Ember wasn't all that pleased with the interruption to her alone time with Paulina, but she kept silent since Paulina seemed happy to let everyone watch with them.

"I want you to contact Technus and have him come here immediately," Vlad ordered, deciding it best not to risk leaving Daniel alone currently. "Then round up the usual suspects and search for Daniel's ghost."

Ember's brow wrinkled slightly. "What do you mean by that exactly? Why do we need to look for the dipstick's ghost?"

"Because it's been stolen and I don't know how this will affect Daniel. It is of the utmost importance that his ghost is recovered as quickly as possible."

"Aye, aye!" Ember saluted before she phased through the floor, heading for the Portal into the Ghost Zone that was in Vlad's laboratory.

With that plan taken care of, Vlad returned to the kitchen. Daniel remained sitting at the table, still looking miserable about the whole situation while Dash stood close beside him, a fact that made Vlad smirk at the pair.

"You know," Daniel mumbled, "there were a number of times over the years when I wished I could just be normal." He rubbed his hands over his face. "But I never imagined it would feel this bad to be human again. It's like I'm empty inside now." Folding his arms on the table, he buried his face in them.

"We're going to get your ghost half back," Dash stated firmly, and Vlad almost believed the man could do it.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Vlad inquired, making his presence known as he stepped farther into the kitchen. "You don't have any idea where his ghost has been taken or for what purpose. And really," he snorted at the man, "what skills do you possess?"

"I can fight ghosts!" Dash shouted, glaring coldly at Vlad, but the look hardly made the older man flinch in response.

"Arguing among ourselves isn't going to help anything," Danny said as he shot to his feet. "Dash can fight. He teamed up with Valerie before so he's gained some knowledge on how to fight ghosts. Plus, he probably has some of her equipment that he could use, though I bet you," he glared at Vlad, "probably have some gear that he could use as well."

"Teamed up with Valerie?" Vlad raised an eyebrow as he frowned at Dash. "And you trust him after Valerie nearly killed you?"

"I didn't know about the poison," Dash growled, jaw clenching tightly. "If I had known about it, I would have stopped her from shooting at him. I was mad and acting out on it like an idiot, but my intention was never to kill Fenton."

Vlad stared at the man uncertainly, but Dash could have left Daniel to his fate at the hands of the ghost and shadow instead of stepping in to help him. Dash could have left Daniel after his ghost half was removed instead making the journey here to Vlad's mansion with him. Vlad resisted the urge to smirk at the blond man glaring at him. Dash was acting like a fool that didn't even realize he was in love.

"I've already deployed a team to search for your ghost half," Vlad explained, turning his attention to Daniel. "I want to run some tests on you, with Technus' help, to determine how this separation is affecting you." Daniel nodded, knowing the routine by now. "But first, did you learn anything from your enemies? Did they tell you anything about why they were after your ghost half?"

Daniel shook his head. "They weren't very forthcoming with information. When I asked the ghost what she wanted, she acted like I should already know. But I've never encountered these two before. Well, there was the shadow before Valerie attacked, but that time it didn't even talk. They wouldn't give me anything to go off."

"Perhaps, I could offer some help."

The three men all turned toward the entrance of the kitchen where a purple cloaked figure stood. Vlad looked the being over, placing himself between it and the other two men. From what Daniel said, Vlad didn't doubt that Dash probably did have some skill after all, but presently Vlad was their best defense if this being attempted to attack them.

"Who are you?" Vlad demanded, narrowing his eyes at the being.

"You may call me Vaettir. And please, I mean no harm to you."

"How do we know?" Dash questioned, sharing Vlad's distrust of the being.

The being reached up, revealing pale green hands with bandages wrapped down the arms, then lowered the hood of the cloak it wore. The face was distinctively female with a smallish nose and full lips. Her ears were slightly pointed and easy to see while the sides of her head were shaved. What hair she possessed on top of her head was braided in a white rope that hung down the right side of her head. As young as she looked, her silver eyes spoke of long ages that passed during her existence.

"Wait. I know you," Daniel said, pushing past Vlad to stand before the ghost. Vlad only raised his brow in surprised at this development, wondering how Daniel could have encountered this ghost.

"Yes, you probably caught some glimpse of me while you 'slept.'" She smiled fondly at Daniel, which only made Vlad frown at her.

"What do you mean by slept?" Vlad demanded, still not trusting this woman.

"We've been trying to contact the ghost within this boy," she explained, resting a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "But he has been less receptive than we expected."

"You're the one that was causing me to have those blackouts?" Daniel pulled away from her, shrugging off the hand angrily.

Vaettir frowned at this response. "Until recently, we couldn't locate him, and a threat was growing. We needed his help to fight it, but he refused to aid us."

"Who is us?" Dash asked, folding his arms over his broad chest. "And what is this about contacting his ghost anyway? Why didn't you just talk to Danny himself?"

"Because it wasn't Danny we sought. It was Phantom, the one inside him." Vaettir frowned at Daniel, her gaze seeming to pierce through the raven haired man. "Though I see we were too late to stop things."

"Again, you're not explaining who exactly you are." Dash growled with impatience, and Vlad felt the same, suspecting Daniel probably did as well.

"We are the Ancients. Phantom was the youngest of us, created only when the threat of Pariah Dark became too much for the five of us to overcome without a sixth member." Vaettir frowned, lowering her sad gaze. "He wasn't exactly happy with the new position as an Ancient, but he was most suited at the time, already being strong enough for the role and with the purest, noblest heart among those that we could choose from. With his help, we were able to seal Pariah Dark away and destroy his kingdom. But," she shook her head, "Pariah Dark wasn't our only enemy. With the Ghost King gone, new ghosts were able to rise up to try to assume control over the Ghost Zone."

"Sounds like Walker," Vlad muttered.

"And Daeva," Daniel added, and Vlad remembered the truth of that. Taking out Daniel was merely revenge for Daeva, who saw him as her greatest threat when it came to acquiring control of the Ghost Zone after her prior plan failed.

"Yes, but long before them, there was another threat," Vaettir continued. "He wasn't nearly as powerful as Pariah Dark, but he was strong enough to be a considerable foe. We struggled against him, and it was because of Phantom that we managed to beat him at all. We thought he was completely destroyed back then."

"But you were wrong," Vlad said, putting the pieces together.

"Yes." Vaettir nodded with a deep frown. "We didn't come to realize our error until recently when we felt his presence again. That's why we sought out Phantom. We need him to fight against this enemy."

"Well, he's gone now!" Daniel shouted, hands clenching tightly at his sides. His body shook with suppressed rage. "Your precious Phantom is gone!"

"I see," Vlad mumbled, placing a hand to his chin. This was the fact they were missing to complete Kwan's theory about the dual personality Daniel seemed to suffer and the reason why the secondary personality kept hiding itself again under the real Daniel. "When you went into your parents' Portal and the accident happened, you didn't just become half ghost." Vlad focused his gaze upon the Ancient. "Phantom used the opportunity to bind himself to Daniel; thus, giving him a host to hide within to escape from you." He pointed a finger at Vaettir, who dropped her guilty gaze.

"Wait, wait, wait," Daniel said, raising his arms as he turned to Vlad. "So who am I really?" He slapped a hand to his chest, blue eyes growing cold with anger. "Am I really Danny Fenton? Or did the real Danny Fenton die in that accident, and I'm just the leftover personality from Phantom?"

Vlad couldn't think of an answer to give him. He never knew Daniel before he became Danny Phantom, so he couldn't tell the young man if he changed at all after the accident that landed him with ghost powers. But the fact that he merged with an Ancient explained a lot about him. It explained why Daniel possessed the ability to use such a strong attack that could completely destroy a ghost's existence and why Daniel was able to recover so quickly after those battles, if he used the Ancient's energy to keep his own soul from dying after wasting that much power.

"You always seemed like the same Fenton to me," Dash said, shrugging, and a mix of hope and relief flooded Daniel's gaze, like he was desperate to believe that he was still the man he always believed he was.

"I think I see why Phantom chose him," Vaettir said with her silver gaze on Daniel. "You two are like twin souls. You seem a lot like him. That probably made becoming one with you easier."

"So what do we do?" Daniel asked, folding his arms. "This big threat, or whatever, has Phantom now. Without him, I'm useless. And apparently, you all can't stop this thing without him."

"Yes, it does seem to be a problem. But the other Ancients are already tracking down Phantom's location. As long as his energy signature remains strong, we should be able to find him."

"Then we can leave the search to them. Daniel, I believe we should go check on your condition. By now, Technus should have arrived." Vlad led the way toward the laboratory. He smoothed a hand over his hair, hardly believing that they were having to deal with Ancients of all things. He glanced at Daniel and frowned at the young man. To think Daniel had such a presence inside him without ever realizing it! Vlad shook his head in disbelief.


	18. Chapter 18

He struggled against the bonds holding him after being ripped out of his human host, but it was to no avail. He couldn't phase out of the net made of red ectoplasm, and it shocked him whenever he tried to figure out a way to escape it. Turning his glowing green eyes on the human that kept him hidden the last five years, Phantom frowned miserably at that look of panic and desperation as Danny raced toward them, reaching out to grab for him and take him back before the enemy could escape. But the human was too late, and the surroundings shifted as the female ghost vanished, taking her prisoner with her.

Phantom tried not to panic in this situation. He was supposed to be an Ancient after all. Ancients didn't panic when things didn't go exactly according to plan. Being captured wasn't necessarily the worst thing in the world. Being separated from Danny at this point, however, wasn't a very good thing. Phantom swallowed, a human trait he picked up from Danny to display nervousness as he wondered how much time exactly he would have to figure out a way out of this.

Surely Clockwork wouldn't have allowed something like this to happen if it meant unleashing something horrible onto the world and the Ghost Zone. Trying to understand Clockwork's motives for allowing certain events to occur was like trying to put together a puzzle that was missing more than half the pieces. The only thing he could count on when it came to Clockwork was that the Time Keeper always had his reasons for how to allow time to flow, and he usually guided people into place to stop any terrible catastrophe from happening. If he couldn't accomplish anything on his own, Phantom could at least rely on Clockwork to keep things from turning out too badly.

"Quit your struggling," ordered the female ghost as she electrified the net, drawing a shout from her prisoner as he writhed within the net.

Phantom still couldn't identify her. She wasn't anyone that he stood against in the past before trying to run away from his duties as an Ancient. But, of course, his true enemy would employ the help of innocent ghosts that he could manipulate into following his every command. That was how he raised an army to stage a war against the Ancients in the first place, by infecting them and corrupting them, making them believe that he was in the right. Judging from the way the shadows grew, twisting farther up her arms and bleeding into her face from her inky hair, this ghost barely had a mind of her own left. Soon, she would be another shadow of a ghost, bowing down completely to her master's will.

Phantom ground his teeth in frustration, wishing none of this ever happened. If only things were different in the past, he wouldn't be trapped here now. If he was never made into an Ancient, he could live freely like he always wanted. He agreed Pariah Dark needed to be stopped. He agreed there were terrible threats that needed the Ancients' powers to be stopped. But he didn't agree that _he_ had to be one of them. Now, once again, he was suffering because of the other Ancients. Not all of them, of course. Clockwork only agreed because time told him to, and Phantom could hardly hold it against him for following the flow of time that he was burdened to observe. Clockwork always looked lonely whenever Phantom decided to visit him in his tower. One Ancient actually stood against the decision to include Phantom in their numbers, but the other three out voted him in forcing Phantom to join them.

Directing his attention to his surroundings, Phantom realized it was pointless to dwell on the past or his unhappiness with his fellow Ancients. Anger wouldn't allow him the chance to escape. His eyes swept around the dark passage the ghost floated down, dragging the net that contained him upon the rough and jagged ground. Phantom winced as a sharp edge scraped across his back, tearing into body. Obviously, his physical well being didn't matter to his captors.

There wasn't much to see in the corridor beyond the darkness, but Phantom saw movement in the shadows, sentinel beings that kept watch over this place in wait for unwanted visitors to approach. A quiver ran through the dark masses, whispering laughter at the sight of a great Ancient reduced to a pathetic prisoner unable to even escape something as simple as a net of ectoplasm. Phantom tested the net again, receiving tiny shocks that made him grit his teeth to keep from shouting or displaying his pain. It was more than a simple net. It had to be. No simple attack could have forced him out of Danny like that. There was a reason this ghost still retained a portion of her original being. His enemy needed her to keep her ghostly powers still because she possessed an ability that in most cases would seem meaningless but was perfect for separating Phantom from Danny. Now that her task was done, the shadows were consuming her.

They reached the end of the passage, entering into a wide, open space with gleaming surfaces all around, and Phantom realized with a sense of dread where exactly he was taken. The last major battle that he fought alongside his fellow Ancients took place here when he expended much his energy in that one attack that caused large ice crystals to form all around, though much of those crystals were chopped away to open the area. In the center of the area dangled an icicle looking very much like the domed roof cried a crystal teardrop that froze before it could fall.

"I suppose you remember this place." The ghost grinned, cruelness flashing in her red eyes as she lifted him higher into the air. "Did you honestly think your cheap tricks could defeat my master?" Spinning in the air, she swung the net right into the crystal teardrop.

Phantom cringed as he slammed into the wall of the teardrop, the net phasing through him and releasing him. Cracking open his eyes, he tried not to panic when he found he was trapped within the ice crystal formation. It was impossible not to feel a little worried about his current situation. He never expected to be imprisoned in his own trap with no means of escaping it. Scrambling to his feet, Phantom blasted at the sides of his prison with everything he had: energy balls, electrified ectoplasm, ice blasts. But none of his attacks made any sort of a dent on the crystal walls.

"Oh, come now, Phantom." A snickering filled the area as shadows collected before the prison. "You know there's no escaping from there. After all, you created that prison." Red eyes pierced into Phantom as the beaked mouth spread into a wide smirk. "Did you truly think you could keep me trapped in there forever?"

Phantom stared back neutrally, trying not to give away his inner panic to his enemy. "I never expected you would find a ghost capable of breaking through it," he said evenly, his gaze flicking toward the female ghost that floated to the side. She was almost lost for good now, hardly any of her true form showing through the shadows eating her away.

"And that's the problem with you Ancients, isn't it?" The shadow scratched its claws down the side of the trap. "Always thinking you're so much better than the rest of us."

Phantom walked over to the edge of his prison, glaring coldly at the shadow. "You're forgetting that I never wanted to be an Ancient in the first place. I didn't choose this. It was forced upon me."

"Yes," the shadow glowered darkly, eyes narrowing, "I remember you saying that once to me before. Then you joined with the Ancients to attack me. And I thought we were friends."

"I used to think that too, Chernobog." Phantom folded his arms over his chest, not allowing the shadow to frighten him. "But you're the one that created an army and tried to take control of the Ghost Zone. Naturally, the Ancients had to stop you."

"Because you lied to me!" Chernobog roared, swelling in size as he drew in more shadows to add to his mass. His claws dug into the wall separating them, trying to break through but not even a crack appeared under the pressure. His expression of rage twisted even more when Phantom gave no reaction to his anger. "You promised me I could become an Ancient, and you turned against me. I was your friend. I listened to all your anger at the Ancients. You confided in me when you had no one else. But it was all just lies!"

"I never lied." Phantom frowned, pity in his green eyes as he watched the furious display of emotions from the shadow. "I never said I could convince the others to make you an Ancient. You can't think that I would ever have the influence over them to make that happen. You can't honestly think that Clockwork wouldn't be the one making the ultimate decision on something like that. With his knowledge of time, he would never allow you to become an Ancient. You were always too power hungry."

Laughter filled the room, rocking the shadow's body as he threw back his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Clockwork!" Chernobog snapped his head back toward Phantom and sneered as he said the name. "So wise and powerful. Yet where is he now? Where is he while his precious Phantom is trapped in enemy hands? Where was he when I ripped you out of that pathetic human you tried to hide in? Do you think the Ancients care about you? You've said it yourself that they only wanted you for power. You were just a tool, a weapon, for them to control."

"Unfortunately," Phantom agreed bitterly, knowing that the other three Ancients only ever saw him as something to be used. They never cared anything for him or what he wanted in his afterlife. He was simply another piece of power added to their collective. "But that's exactly why they'll come for me. They won't allow you to keep me here." His eyes narrowed at Chernobog. "Do you think they won't sense my presence even in here?" He snorted, shaking his head. "This cage doesn't hide my energy. They can find me. They're probably on their way here right now. Do you really think you can stop them?"

The confidence in Phantom's voice didn't make the shadow flinch or show a hint of fear. Chernobog laughed at him, which made Phantom's smirk falter as fear trickled down his spine and coiled inside him. Phantom narrowed his eyes, trying to decipher the reason behind the shadow's amusement. Something was up with this whole situation, but he couldn't understand why Chernobog would be laughing. The shadow couldn't truly think he could trap all of the Ancients within this prison. For one, Clockwork would never fall for such a cheap trick, and for another, Chernobog would never find the sixth member.

"You don't think I already planned for that?" Chernobog asked, grinning widely with glee in his eyes, and Phantom gulped subtly with worry. "I've been plotting this for quite some time. I might not stand up against the Ancients now, but I'll have my revenge on them soon enough."

Their attention was drawn away from each other as noise from the passageway reached them, the shrieks of the sentinel shadows as they attacked the invaders. Explosions rang out as the two sides fought each other. Hope flickered briefly in Phantom, knowing it wouldn't be long before the Ancients came to free him. But glancing back toward Chernobog, Phantom caught the grin still in place upon his beaked face. This was exactly what the shadow of a ghost wanted, but Phantom still couldn't understand why Chernobog would plan something like this. Why did Chernobog want the Ancients to come to retrieve their own? What was Chernobog's plan?

The shadow smiled more sadistically when he saw Phantom watching him. "Now the fun begins."

Phantom backed away from the walls of his cage as his eyes grew wide with fright. Chernobog spread his shadowy body out to cover the whole of the prison, locking his captive away in darkness. Phantom's gaze darted around, body twisting on the spot as he sought some way to escape. The Ancients were walking into a trap, that much Phantom could work out, but he still didn't know all the details of it. He prayed Clockwork had a plan to win this battle.


	19. Chapter 19

After Technus was on his way to Vlad's mansion, Ember sought out the usual suspects to organize a search for Danny's ghost half. She chewed on a thumbnail out of worry as she waited for everyone to gather so that she only had to explain things once. She couldn't believe something like this happened, couldn't believe Danny could even lose his ghost half. It all felt too much for her to process at the moment, and she forced herself to focus on what mattered at the moment: retrieving Danny's ghost half. Hopefully nothing horrible would happen to the human Danny while they were separated.

Glancing around, she spotted most of the crew that first organized the battle against Walker with Danny and Vlad leading them. Skulker waited impatiently with his arms folded and a frown on his face. Dora curled around the gathering in her dragon form with Poindexter already seated upon her and ready to ride into battle. Desiree was missing, which made Ember frown though she suspected Clockwork might have kept the genie ghost from coming when called. For that same reason, the Ghost Writer was absent as well. The Lunch Lady and the Box Ghost floated beside each other, and Ember truly didn't want to think about their recent union. It was sort of an "ew" topic for her. Ember didn't contact Johnny since she didn't want to interrupt Kitty's time with her husband unless things turned desperate. Spectra stood with her hands on her hips and Bertrand at her side, neither of them looking very happy to be called out to this little meeting. Wulf paced around, occasionally pausing to examine his nails like he was debating if he needed to sharpen them.

"Are we going to start this meeting or not?" Skulker demanded, growing fed up with waiting any longer.

"Right," Ember said then coughed to clear her throat. "I've gathered you all here because Danny Phantom is in trouble."

"What has the whelp done now?" But the mention of trouble made Skulker tense up visibly. Over the years, he hunted his prey, though now it was mostly a game between them, like training to test each other's skills. They became close comrades during the war, and it didn't surprise Ember that Skulker would worry the moment he heard something might be threatening Danny. It was still strange the way they all banded together now to help Danny.

"His ghost half was ripped out of him," Ember announced in a loud voice to be sure all of them heard her. Shocked faces appeared all around her, reflecting what she felt as well. "I don't know the details of how it happened. But what's important is that we find his ghost half and fast. All of us have spent enough time around him to know his energy signature. If we follow that, we should be able to find him quickly. I don't know what we'll be up against. But this is for Danny! Let's fight with everything we have to save him!" Cheers erupted from the gathering but quickly stifled as confusion flashed across their faces. With her brow knitted, Ember turned around to see what caused such a reaction.

"Might we be of help as well?" asked one of the cloaked figures that appeared before her.

Ember gulped as she backed away, joining the crowd of ghosts that gathered at her call. Everyone present recognized the familiar purple cloak that only the Ancients wore. Other than Clockwork, Ember couldn't recall any of the other five Ancient making an appearance ever since they sealed away Pariah Dark in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. Ember's eyes grew wide as she tried to think of why the Ancients would appear now, why they would take an interest in Danny's ghost half. Wulf muttered something behind her, but Ember didn't know enough Esperanto to understand his words.

"We have a lock on Phantom's location," said the taller of the two Ancients. Neither bothered to lower their hoods and reveal their faces. Ember didn't like that fact, but the Ancients usually acted for the good of the whole, like when they rose up to stop Pariah Dark's reign over the Ghost Zone.

"So what are you doing here?" Poindexter inquired, adjusting his glasses while Dora huffed puffs of smoke from her snout. "If you know where he is, why didn't you just go immediately there?"

"We require your help," answered the smaller of the two Ancients. "Phantom is being held in a den of shadows. Far too many for us to handle alone. We shall need your help keeping them at bay while we rescue Phantom."

"Whatever," Skulker muttered as he fiddled with some of his weapons. "Just lead us to where he is and let us take care of the fighting." He passed out weapons to everyone.

"Why do I need this?" Ember asked, frowning at the blaster that Skulker thrust into her hands. She never much cared for this type of weapon. Her guitar worked perfectly fine for her in any battle. She only had to jam out a few cords, and the enemies would be blasted out of the way in no time.

"Shadows are going to need a little more than a bit of musical energy to beat back," Skulker explained, making Ember feel like an idiot. Gritting her teeth, she glared at him. "At full power, these blasters should provide enough light to harm the shadows. If they're anything like Johnny's shadow, we might not be able to fully destroy them, but we can at least hurt them enough to drive them off."

"I knew that," Ember muttered, shouldering the weapon as she glared away from Skulker. "Let's just go. We're wasting time. I have no idea who took Danny's ghost half or why, but the longer we leave him in their hands, the worst things could get." She focused her hard glare on the two Ancients. "Hurry up and get moving! We don't have all day."

The Ancients exchanged a look with each other then nodded to the group. Leading the way, they floated ahead as the rest of the ghosts followed, soaring through the Ghost Zone toward their destination. Ember felt tense the whole time as they passed various doors and realms, some familiar and others not so familiar. Her mind kept drifting to Danny left back at Vlad's mansion. She didn't see him before heading off immediately to follow Vlad's orders, but she hoped he was all right. Her grip tightened on the weapon she held, feeling the urge to blast at something. After everything Danny did to help them, saving them from Pariah Dark's return and Walker's attempt to assume control, Ember couldn't believe something like this was happening to him. Plenty of ghosts weren't entirely happy with Vlad's attempt to create peace in the Ghost Zone and the human world, but Ember couldn't think of any ghosts that possessed the ability to do something like this or even had the gall to try.

"He's through here," the taller Ancient announced upon reaching a round opening in a dark mass that Ember couldn't remember passing ever in her time in the Ghost Zone. One hand slipped out from the folds of the cloak and pointed a long, ashen finger extending toward the opening. "The shadows are standing alert for any intruders. It would be wise to enter weapons blazing."

"We can't determine how many enemies lie in wait," added the shorter Ancient. "Their collective is too massive for us to pinpoint individual entities. As long as you can keep their focus on you, we should be able to slip in and recover Phantom."

"This would be a lot easier if Clockwork wouldn't refuse to aid us," grumbled the ashen skinned Ancient, anger seeping into his voice.

Ember actually snorted at that. Clockwork had the tendency to annoy most ghosts without much of an effort. Ember decided his control over time had something to do with it. No one liked a know it all, and Clockwork was the biggest of them all. "Then let's get this show going!" She was sick of wasting time standing around talking. They weren't accomplishing anything at this point. Action was needed, not words. She only hoped they could deal out enough damage to save Danny.

Not waiting any longer, Ember led the charge with Skulker by her side as they raced into the passage with their guns charging and ready to blast at anything that moved in the darkness. The shadows launched their attack the moment the ghosts entered their domain. Ember squeezed the trigger, shooting out a bright blast in a steady beam. It wasn't the same as rocking out on her guitar, and she would never understand Skulker love for this type of weaponry, but she never really saw eye to eye with the hunter on many points. The shadows shrieked as the multiple blasts pierced through them. All around the passage for as far down as she could see, Ember saw the dark mass wiggling, surging forward to overwhelm them. Shadows melted down from the ceiling, dripping on top of her and slamming her down into the ground where more shadows rose up to swallow her in everlasting darkness. Shouting out in rage, Ember fired again and again, piercing through the blackness swarming over her, but her attempts weren't enough to break the hold on her. It felt like the shadows were trying to crawl into her, burrowing under the surface and take her over.

A roar that sounded like Dora's dragon form echoed down the length of the passage, making the ground beneath Ember quiver from the ferocity of it. Heat burned past her, warming her backside as the shadows melted away with whimpers. When she could lift her head to look at was happening, Ember saw licks of the green flames dotting the passage way and tossing a soft glow all around to light their way. Dora huffed smoked out her snout, rage in her eyes. Poindexter abandoned his seat upon her back, joining in the fray. Ember smirked as she watched the nerd zapping every shadow that he could with the small pistol of a weapon that Skulker gave him. The hunter apparently didn't think it wise to trust Poindexter with a bigger, more powerful weapon, but the pistol worked well enough for him. Poindexter was small and fast when he needed to be, probably a result from the years of torment at the hands of bullies.

"Forget about human misery!" Spectra cackled gleefully, gripping what could be the throat of one shadow within her hand. "These things are filled with enough misery to keep me young and beautiful for thousands of years to come!"

"You can think of your beauty later," Skulker shouted in anger. Taking aim, he blasted through the head of the shadow in Spectra's hold. "Saving the whelp is top priority."

"Spoil all my fun," muttered Spectra darkly as she retrieved the blaster strapped at her back.

"Leave the entrance for Dora," Ember instructed, getting back to her feet. The dragon wouldn't be able to fit through the tight passage, but Dora wouldn't be as big a threat in her human form. "She can watch our backs. Let's bust a hole through these shits." Charging down the passage, Ember fired at the shadows trying to block her way. Clawing hands grabbed at her, scratching sharp nails over her flesh.

"Spread out!" Skulker ordered, following Ember's lead. "We won't do enough damage if we're clustered together."

Ember snorted as she dove forward, rolling onto her knees when the shadows tried to grab at her. She raised her gun toward the ceiling, searing a line through the shadows overhead. Being a hunter, Skulker naturally knew the best tactics for battle. During the war against Walker, Danny and Vlad often listened to Skulker's advice on how best to stage their latest attacks upon the army of ghosts under Walker's control. It was only natural for him to assume command during this raid to rescue Danny. She heard movement behind her as the other ghosts spread out to better narrow down the numbers of the shadows, but Ember kept her focus on reaching the end of the passage where she could barely catch a glimpse of what looked like crystal through the gaps created by the shadows attacking her.

"Just die already!" Ember growled in frustration as she zapped every shadow within in her range.

The shrieks of the shadows echoed all around, traveling up and down the passage. An explosion of light pierced through the darkness, and the shaking of the ground almost made Ember lose her balance. Snapping her furious glare back, she saw Skulker readying to throw another light grenade. This time she was prepared and managed to stand her ground as the explosion rocked the passage. Chunks of the ceiling crashed down, crushing shadows beneath them.

"Careful with those!" Ember shouted back at Skulker. "We need to be able to escape after we rescue Danny, you idiot!"

Skulker glowered as he raised an arm to point in her direction. Ember flinched before she realized that he was probably taking aim at the shadows around her. The burst of white energy seared far too closely for her liking, and she swore she caught a smirk on Skulker's ugly mug. Seething with anger, she gritted her teeth as she suppressed the desire to blast that tin can of a head right off his ecto suit. Fighting against each other only gave the enemy the advantage, Ember remembered from one of the talks Danny gave during the war. Internal struggle in their ranks only weakened them and allowed the enemy to strike at those weak points to tear them apart. Clenching her jaw, Ember turned back to her own task. Their numbers were small, and she couldn't afford to start battling with Skulker with the well being of Danny's ghost half on the line.

The fight raged on, but the endlessness of the shadows weighed heavily on them. Ember feared they would never manage to fight through enough of it to allow them to rescue Danny's ghost half. The blasts of her weapon grew weaker, too much energy spent from it since they started fighting. When she caught sight of the Ancients passing her, Ember snapped her head around to watch them as she tried her best to fight with her failing gun. The Ancients floated out of the passage and into the crystal room beyond it, and as they did so, the swarm of shadows rushed by, surging into the room.

"Beware," the Box Ghost said in a slow, drawn out voice that actually sent chills down Ember's back. The other ghosts, expect Dora, approached Ember when all the shadows they were fighting fled down the passage.

"Oddly enough," Skulker grumbled, "I'm inclined to agree with the idiot." He glanced around, and Ember followed his gaze. They were all hurt, scratches littering their bodies. Even Skulker's suit possessed claw marks carving into the metal. But no serious injuries occurred. None of them were bleeding to a second death from a fatal wound, which made Ember frown slightly in concern. "I feel like they were stalling us for some purpose." Skulker turned his gaze to the crystal room. "And I'm not sure we're going to like the reason why."

"Whatever it is, we're going to fight and save Danny," Ember said determinedly. The shriek that resounded from the room beyond the passage shook her resolve only a touch as it made her gulp with worry. Whatever made such a noise sounded big, much too big for the few of them to take on alone. Forcing herself to move forward, Ember entered the crystal room with Skulker at her side and the rest of the ghosts following. She could almost feel the fear of the other ghosts at her back, and she wouldn't blame them after seeing what they were to face. The flight response was kicking in strongly, but Ember stood firm, steeling her every nerve to continue the fight.

The shadows coalesced into one giant being in the center of the room. It towered over them, casting them into its dark shadow as red eyes gleamed down in jubilation at them. Its beaked maw cracked open as its laughter echoed within the room, bouncing over the shiny crystal surfaces. Tendrils of gooey black strings dripped off it, dangling from its parted mouth and arms. Ember didn't know how they could possibly fight it. Her gun was already running on its last bit of energy, and she would wager the others' weapons weren't much better, except maybe Skulker who packed a whole arsenal within his ecto suit somehow.

But something over the shadow monster called Ember's attention. Her bright green eyes lifted upward to the crystal bubble hanging from the center of the ceiling, and her mouth hung slightly open. Within that crystal was Danny's half ghost lying curled on his side and not moving.

Glaring hardening, Ember turned back to her fellow. "Let's blast this thing with everything we have left," she suggested, hefting up her weapon as it whirled to life readying to be fired. "Skulker, bust out every weapon you, set them to full power, and let's waste this shadow until there's not a speck of it left." She only hoped it worked because if they couldn't destroy this thing, they might fail to recover Danny's ghost half.

She took aim at the heart of the shadow, hearing the clicks and whirls of all the other ghosts gathered also raising their guns toward the shadows. More weapons than she could count popped up from Skulker's ecto suit. The shadow's right arm lifted high above its head. Then releasing a roar, it swung down its arm at the small group of ghosts. Ember pulled the trigger along with her comrades, and the beams from all their weapons angled into one point, piercing into the shadow's chest. With a shriek, the shadow stumbled back, halting its attack. Its sharp fingers clawed at the growing hole as the light continued to pierce it. Falling back, it writhed under their combined attack, screeching as it flailed like a dying beast. One by one, their weapons failed them, running out of energy to continue battering the shadow, which shrank in size as the light ate at its body.

When the least beam of light faded out, Skulker launched all the grenades that remained in his arsenal. The shadow had little time to even attempt moving after their guns ran out of juice before the grenades exploded, filling the room with a blinding light that reflected all around them. Ember covered her eyes with an arm, turning partially away to save her eyes from suffering the irritating spots that followed after such an assault upon them. A terrible shrilling scream chilled her inside as it rang in her ears, the light beginning to die. Silence overcame the room when everything returned to normal. Lowering her arm, Ember glanced around the room, back to the passage, but she saw no signs of the looming shadows.

"You've done better than I thought," commented the taller of the Ancients, though he didn't sound all that impressed by their efforts.

Ember resisted the urge to grab hold of her guitar and strum a few chords at him. The Ancients didn't lift a finger to help them fight off the shadows. They merely stood by while the "regular" ghosts did all the work and suffered the damage for it. Instead, she focused her attention on Danny's ghost half, still unmoving within the crystal cage.

"How do you suggest we break him free?" Ember demanded, folding her arms with a frustrated clench of her teeth.

Her question received no response as the taller Ancient crossed his arms before his chest. Then in one quick movement, he threw them outward, filling the room with a rush of wind. Cracks spread across the surface of the crystalline ice, branching out all over until at last the barrier shattered under the pressure of the blades of wind. Ember backed away as sharp shards of ice crashed down to the floor, as did the rest of the ghosts that joined her on this raid. The half ghost's body fell free from its prison, and the smaller Ancient waited beneath to catch him.

"He has grown quite weak," announced the Ancient with a frown in his voice as he carried the half ghost over to the group. "It may be wise, despite our reservations, to return him to the human."

"Damn straight you will," Ember growled, narrowing her eyes at the two Ancients. "You're not stealing away our friend's ghost after everything we just went through to rescue him."

"Your friend?" The tall Ancient snorted. "I think you are confused. Phantom is our brother, our fellow, an Ancient."

"What?" Ember shouted in shock and rage. She started toward the Ancients only to be held back by Skulker.

"It may be wiser not to antagonize some of the most powerful entities in the Ghost Zone," Skulker whispered into her ear, though it did little to cool her head. "I doubt Clockwork would allow any of this to pass if it meant Danny would suffer."

Ember glowered at him, not taking comfort in what _Clockwork_ might have planned. If Danny's ghost half was indeed an Ancient, this could all be some elaborate plot orchestrated by Clockwork to regain the lost Ancient into their numbers again. She didn't trust any of this but allowed Skulker to take the lead in guiding the Ancients to Vlad's mansion. She would keep a watch on them, and if they tried to keep Danny from reuniting with his ghost half, she would figure out some way to stop them.


	20. Chapter 20

Dash leaned against the wall as he watched that Masters guy and some weird ghost poking and prodding at Fenton laid out on the examining table in the middle of the laboratory like the raven haired man was some sort of science experiment. Seeing them draw blood and attach wires to the pale flesh made Dash's stomach twist with disgust. He was having flashes of this being Fenton's parents' laboratory and instead of the two men, it was Fenton's parents looming over him. He looked away from the proceedings when he envisioned them cutting into Fenton, dissecting him to learn how that whole half ghost thing worked, even if Fenton was completely human now.

After learning the truth behind Danny Phantom, Dash was too angry at Fenton to think about it. But now with Fenton lying there with his chest bared and eyes clamped shut while his hands clenched the sides of the table, Dash could only imagine this being a nightmare for Fenton. Living with two ghost hunters that were ready to tear apart a ghost the moment they got their hands on one couldn't have left Fenton completely unscarred mentally. Dash could understand Fenton's need for secrecy when it came to his alter ego, but remembering the lies still ignited a flicker of anger in him.

Vaettir sat on one of the tables to the side of the room with her legs folded under her and her eyes closed, making Dash think of one of those monks mediating in those movies that involved lots of martial arts and stuff. Dash didn't like her. There was something with the way she smiled at Fenton when she was talking about his ghost half that made Dash want to zap her with his ecto blaster. Dash didn't really understand the whole talk about Ancients, except that they were apparently like the gods among ghosts with immense power. Why something like that would attach itself to Fenton of all people, Dash thought he could only guess at, but at the memory of Fenton's devastation, Dash knew they had to do everything to get the ghost back in him.

When that white haired ghost, Technus if he remembered correctly, left Fenton's side to speak with Masters in hushed whispers, Dash pushed away from the wall. Walking over to the side of the examination table, Dash took hold of Fenton's hand and squeezed it lightly. Bright blue eyes cracked open with a mixture of nervousness and fear. Dash held back a snort, thinking he was right about Fenton suffering nightmares about his parents. Curiosity entered those blue eyes as Fenton frowned up at him, clearly not understanding why Dash was suddenly holding his hand in some strange show of comforting him. Dash didn't really have an explanation to give him if Fenton decided to ask. He simply couldn't stand there any longer, watching the way Fenton tensed up at every touch while the men performed tests on him.

"This doesn't mean anything," Dash muttered, narrowing his eyes. "You just looked so pathetic."

Fenton turned his gaze toward the ceiling, sadness in his eyes as he frowned. He clearly knew there was no hope of having a relationship with Dash but couldn't make his heart stop caring for the jock. Dash huffed a mental sigh, wishing there was some easy solution to fix everything, but he wasn't just going to suddenly turn gay to mend Fenton's broken heart. He probably wouldn't even be standing there holding Fenton's hand if the raven haired man didn't always have that pathetic kicked puppy look on his face. He scratched a hand through his blond locks as he glanced toward where Masters and Technus were still whispering as they reviewed all the data collected from their various tests.

Fenton sighed tiredly, drawing Dash's attention back to him. Somehow, he looked aged years older at that moment, like he was a hundred years old but trapped in the body of a nineteen year old. "I'll have to tell everyone about this," Fenton mumbled, slipping his hand free from Dash. As he sat up on the table, he shoved his hand into his pocket to grab his phone.

This time, Dash did actually snort as he folded his arms. "Finally learned that you can't keep telling lies all the time? Finally realized it's better to tell the truth?" His dark blue eyes narrowed at Fenton.

Lifting his gaze from his phone while he typed out a text message, Fenton stared miserably at Dash then lowered his gaze. "I get it, okay? I've made a lot of terrible choices. I've hurt people with all my lies. I've made my friends worry their minds out because I never tell them the whole truth about what's going on. I thought I would spare them from worrying if I didn't tell them anything about the war, but it only made it worse to have them be in the dark about it. I get it. I've been a bad friend and a bad person. But I'm trying." He waved the phone at Dash like that somehow changed everything. "I'm telling them about my ghost half being ripped out of me so that they aren't completely clueless like last time. I'm trying to be more honest about everything."

Dash sighed as he sat down beside Fenton on the examining table. "I get that sometimes you can't avoid lying." He wasn't exactly innocent of lying either, but he didn't usually ruin people's lives with his lies. "I get why you have to keep something like being Danny Phantom secret. But," his mouth thinned as he stared at Fenton, "your other lies. Tricking me into thinking you're a girl."

"I know! I'm sorry." Fenton hung his head. "It was all really stupid. But you can't tell me that you wouldn't have just kicked my ass or gone around telling everyone about it. I know that's not a great excuse. But try to think of it from my prospective. If you were me, could you have told your worst bully that the girl he thought he was falling in love with was actually the loser he loved to pound on?"

It was difficult to put himself in Fenton's place. Dash was never a loser in his life, and he never really had anyone to fear other than his father. His mouth tugged downward as he thought of how his father would react if, in a hypothetical situation, Dash came out as gay to him. Wincing, he could only foresee a horrible and painful outcome and imagined that would be the sort of reaction he would have had if Fenton told him right away when they met in the movie theater that he was really a man.

"Okay. Maybe you have a point with that," Dash muttered, jaw set in frustrated annoyance. "But it still doesn't excuse everything."

"I'm really sorry. I wi-" Fenton shook his head then lifted his gaze to Dash. "If you really wanted," he struggled with his words, like it was painful to speak them, "we could erase everything that happened."

"If you even consider making that wish, I'll kick your ass," Masters growled as he returned from his private conversation with Technus. His glare was darker and more furious than any Dash could recall. Even his father never looked so angry in his life.

"Wait. What is this about wishing?" Dash's gaze darted between the two men.

"There's a ghost that has the ability to grant wishes," Fenton explained, dropping his gaze back to his phone as he finished typing out the text to send to his friends. "And another that can make whatever he types on his keyboard come true. If we asked one of them, they could erase everything that happened between us. You never would have mistaken me for a girl and fallen in love, and I would never have fallen in love with you."

"Fenton, are you an idiot?" Dash shouted as he jumped off the examining table. He grabbed hold of Fenton's shoulders, shaking him as the stunned bright blue eyes stared at him. "We could have used those ghosts to get your ghost half back! Why are we wasting all this time searching for your ghost half and running tests when a simple wish or little typing can solve everything?"

"It's not that simple." Fenton shrugged out of Dash's hold. "Depending on the way time is supposed to flow, Clockwork would never allow us to take the easy route. It's annoying and frustrating, and usually a giant pain in the ass, but there are certain events that need to happen, according to everything Clockwork keeps telling me. If this is one of those events, we simply have to let it play out and figure out how to get through it."

"Clockwork sounds like an ass," Dash muttered, hands clenching at his sides. He didn't see the point of making Fenton suffer like this when they could fix everything in a snap.

"Do not judge what you do not understand," Vaettir said in a voice filled with suppressed rage as her silver eyes flashed at Dash, who scowled back at her. He wasn't going to let some stupid ghost intimidate him.

"While it may be true that Clockwork can seem like an ass," Masters ignored the glare Vaettir sent him, "if he doesn't want us using Desiree or Ghost Writer's abilities, he'll be sure to keep them out of our reach. We'll simply have to wait and see if the others are able to retrieve Daniel's ghost half."

"And what if they can't find it?" Dash demanded, turning his glower on Masters. He didn't miss the pained look that crossed Fenton's face at that question. "It's been hours now since that ghost and shadow got away with it. What's to say they haven't already done something to his ghost? What's to say that they can even be found if they all have their energies suppressed?"

"No," Fenton shook his head, "my ghost half would purposely be broadcasting his energy signature as loudly as possible to ensure that he can be found." Then he frowned. "But it's always possible that they could place him in some sort of cage that would cancel the signal and make it impossible to find them."

"There aren't many cages that could hold an Ancient," Vaettir said patiently, her gaze focused on the opened Portal built into the far side of the laboratory like she expected something to come through it at any moment. "None of those cages would be able to suppress his energy enough to keep him hidden."

"Let's just get to what you found out with all those tests," Fenton said, rubbing tiredly at his forehead. "There's not really anything else for us to do at the moment until they come back to tell us what happened." His expression was drained, but Dash could see the worry clearly in his bright blue eyes. Fenton feared the other ghosts might not return with his ghost half.

"It would seem," Technus started, sharing a frown with Masters, "that you currently possess the bare minimum soul energy to maintain functionality. After those past attacks, with Walker then Daeva, you expended much of your energy and only managed to hang onto to life because the Ancient was feeding you power to keep you from wasting away all of your soul." He turned to Masters. "I wish we had known that his ghost half was actually an Ancient from the beginning. We could have learned far more if we were aware-"

"The point," Masters cut in with a sharp glare at Technus, "is that you still haven't recovered all of what you lost. But now that the Ancient is no longer in you to help balance things out," Masters frowned, none too happy with their findings, "your soul energy is actually deteriorating."

"What?" Fenton gasped like he was physically struck at that comment. "What do you mean it's deteriorating? Does that mean I'm," he paled as his thoughts fully sunk in, "dying?" His voice cracked slightly, and he looked like he might start hyperventilating at that possibility. Frowning, Dash placed a hand on the man's shoulder, like he thought somehow he could drive away death when it came calling for Fenton with that simple touch.

"We can't say that for certain." Masters, however, held a hint of worry in his eyes. He feared that they were going to lose Fenton if they didn't get back the Ancient soon. "You're maintaining a strong hold on life, but we can't determine how long you can stay in this state. You could be burning your soul out faster by desperately trying to stay alive. All we can really say is that you and the Ancient need each other to survive. In five years, your energies melded into one, and now that you're separated, you're both suffering. He might have the power of an Ancient, but right now, he's a lot weaker than he usually would be."

"All the more reason for us to act swiftly."

They all turned at the new voice, watching as a group of ghosts stepped through the Portal. The first two were Ancients dressed in purple cloaks, much like Vaettir. Behind them, Dash recognized Ember easily while the other ghost was that one that attacked him and Fenton when Dash was acting as his fitness buddy. Those two kept their eyes on the Ancients like they didn't quite trust the Ancients with Fenton's ghost half, which Dash noticed was held within the arms of the smaller Ancient.

"They need to be reunited before it's too late," the small of the Ancients said.

"And how do you suggested we go about doing that?" demanded Ember, folding her arms as green eyes narrowed at the Ancient.

"The Fenton Ghost Catcher," Fenton suggested immediately. "Back in freshmen year, I used it to separate into human Fenton and ghost Phantom. If I go through it the other way, it might merge us back together."

"Your parents make some crazy ass inventions," Dash said, staring at Fenton like his skin suddenly turned blue. "Why the hell would your parents invent something that can separate your human and ghost halves?"

"It wasn't their intention. I accidentally went through it once." Fenton shrugged. "My parents had that bug that was going around and immediately assumed it was something ghost related so they made the Ghost Catcher to remove ecto impurities. I don't think they ever realized just how well it worked. I only used it later because I was doing so much ghost fighting that I didn't have any time to just be a normal teenager." Fenton glanced around at everyone gathered. "But it should work, shouldn't it? Just pass through the merge side over both of us and," he clapped his hands together, "we snap back into one."

"It won't be enough." Phantom climbed out of the other Ancient's arms. He held a hand to his head as he stumbled on unsteady legs. "Back then, our bond was too new, and we could separate without consequence then easily merge back. But now," he shook his head once before looking dizzy by the action, "we've become too reliant on one another. We need each other to survive now, but the Ghost Catcher is too weak to reestablish our bond. We need something stronger."

"Like what?" Dash demanded at the same Ember did.

Fenton's gaze snapped toward the Portal. "We'll have to recreate the accident then." He glanced toward Masters. "I remember how everything was setup when the accident happened. You'll just have to shut down the Portal and let me go in it."

"Are you crazy?" Dash shouted, grabbing hold of Fenton and forcing him to face him. "What if that kills you?"

"It won't." Fenton said firmly. "I'm not lying to spare your feelings or anything. It worked twice before. And if an Ancient binding to me is what ensured that I lived through it, then there's even less to worry about because we have him back."

"It's the only thing that will work," Phantom agreed, leaning against the examining table to keep on his feet. "We have to do it, and quickly before both our energies waste away. We still have that shadow to fight, and we can't do that like this. I'm growing too weak."

"Vlad, if this is the only way, you know we have to do it." Fenton turned his unwavering gaze on Masters. There was something in that strong, commanding look that surprised Dash.

With a sigh, Masters walked over to the Portal as the Ancients and ghosts moved out of his way. After a moment's hesitation, he hit a button that shut down the Portal, and the swirl of green that filled the gateway into the Ghost Zone zapped out of existence. Beyond the Portal doors was nothing more than the innards of the machine with metal sidings. Nothing about it looked very impressive, and Dash didn't feel very confident with this plan. Walking into that machine to get electrocuted to near death didn't sound like a very wise plan in Dash's head, but the determination in Fenton's eyes told him there was no talking the man out of this. Fenton planned on reuniting with his ghost half no matter the cost.

When Fenton stepped toward the machine, Dash felt the urge to grab him, drag as far away from it as possible and scream at him for the madness that was clearly consuming the other man's mind at that moment. He resisted, fists clenching tightly at his sides as he watched Fenton adjust the various dials on the panel next to the machine until things were set in the proper manner for this experiment to work. In his head, Dash only saw this going wrong. He saw the flash of electricity surging through Fenton's body then the corpse lying on the floor within the machine after this attempt to recreate the accident failed. His anger toward Fenton didn't extend so far as to want to stand here and witness the man's death with his own eyes. Fenton, however, wouldn't listen to anyone. Masters stopped him just before Fenton could enter the machine, questioning one last time if he was sure about embarking on this possible one way ticket to death. Even Masters worried about a failed outcome, but Fenton merely assured him that it would work.

_Work my ass_ , Dash thought, wanting to scream in frustration over the whole situation. _What happens if you die, Fenton? How do you think your friends and family are going to feel about that?_ He understood, though the whole technical aspect of it went over his head, that Fenton needed his ghost half to continue living. But surely they could come up with a better plan than this one! They had to have the time to formulate some kind of idea, some sort of invention that would be safer than this.

Fenton entered the machine with Phantom at his side. They looked at each other, sharing some sort of silent conversation as the ghost held onto the human's hand as a sign of encouragement. Dash's jaw set so tightly that his teeth ached from the force of them pressing into each other, his mind running wild with horrible thoughts. Fenton reached out a hand, resting it against the wall of the machine. The Ancients watched with cold calmness, showing no cause of worry for what was to happen. The three ghosts and Masters, on the other hand, all tensed in wait for what would occur.

Everything stopped for Dash; his breathing, his heart, even his brain shut down at the first sparks of green light shooting out from where Fenton's hand pressed against the wall. Agonizing screams rang out through the laboratory as the electricity surged through Fenton's body, the light of it blinding them to what was happening within the machine. Dash's body moved on its own accord, pushing forward toward the machine with the only thought of wanting to reach inside it and yank Fenton free before it was too late. Masters held him back with surprising strength, and though worry flashed within his eyes, the older man was determined to let this play out until the end. Dash didn't understand how any of them could simply stand there, listening to Fenton suffering, when he, who spent the last year fueled with anger at the man, was the only one that seemed to want to save Fenton. Like back in the warehouse, all his anger at Fenton washed away, replaced by the simple desire to protect.

When the screaming fell silent, Dash didn't feel even the slightest bit relieved. The Portal was opened again, the green swirling before them and blocking out the inside of the machine. His gaze remained focused on the Portal, waiting for some sign to prove Fenton didn't die. When a figure stepped through wrapped in green mist and holding a hand to its head, Dash almost sighed with relief in the knowledge that Fenton was still alive. But as the mist dissipated from around the other man, Dash's mouth dropped open as his heart stopped.

The familiar shock of white hair fell down over pale flesh, but the slight pointed ears troubled Dash because he was certain that Danny Phantom didn't usually have ears like that. His costume didn't look right either, everything appearing inverted from the black collar that was pointed instead of rounded to the black gloves reaching up to mid bicep to the black boots reaching well past his knees. Top and bottom were white except for the black at his sides starting under his armpits and reaching down to the black strip around his waist acting like a belt. The logo that was so familiar to Dash now no longer appeared on his chest. Fenton lowered his hand from his head, and Dash noticed then the way his fingers looked more like claws. Lifting his head, Fenton flashed red eyes around the room. The pupils were slit like a snake's eyes. A cruel, malicious smirk cut across that familiar face as a gleeful gleam danced in those strange eyes.

"Danny," Dash whispered, dumbstruck at the sight of the other man. He was too stunned by the changes to even notice the reactions of those around him, his attention solely focused on Fenton, assuming that any of Fenton still existed in the person standing before him. It felt like a knife buried itself in his chest as Dash stared at that twisted look upon Fenton's face.

"Lover boy is trapped in here." The smirk remained plastered on his face as he tapped a black claw at his temple.

The wind stirred within the laboratory, whistling past Dash. Fenton raised his arms, a shield of black spreading between his hands, which absorbed the blades of wind hurtling toward the ghost teen. Laughter echoed around them as the wind rebounded to slam into two of the Ancients behind Dash.

"Not only have I finally regained a ghostly body after being so cruelly torn apart until nothing but a shadow remained," Fenton's face twisted with bitter rage before the smirk returned, "now I also possess the power of an Ancient." A hand pressed to his chest. "Your precious Phantom is feeding me so much power."

All around him, ghosts and Ancients readied to attack the being masquerading as Fenton. Dash still had his ecto blaster on him, but he couldn't seem to remember how to move, his mind too slow at processing the fact that something went horribly wrong with the recreation of the accident. Before any of them could attempt another attack, a wave of darkness shot out of the impersonator, knocking them all backward. Dash hit the wall, head slamming hard against it.

Red eyes swept over the room, and the faker made a show of counting with a point toward each Ancient with a clawed finger. "I expected to see four of you," he announced in disappointment, frustration making him huff angrily. "That's rather unfortunate." He shrugged, shoulders lifting briefly. "No bother. I'll just have to go find him. And once he's destroyed, I'll come back for the rest of you." Shadows collected around his body then he vanished, leaving behind only his eerie laughter.

"What the hell was that?" Dash shouted, finally recalling the ability to speak after being in shock for several long minutes. He snapped his glare toward Masters, angry with the older man for allowing something like this to happen. "What the hell happened to Fenton?"

"I honestly don't know," Masters answered numbly. "That should have worked. He should have been the same."

"I thought you said we would have Phantom back after this," Vaettir shouted, glowering at the shortest of the three Ancients. Dash snapped his gaze around toward them and ground his teeth in frustration. "You said that once they reunited, Phantom would be in control and we could finally rid ourselves of that shadow."

"We never would have been in this mess if Phantom told us the truth from the beginning," muttered the other tall Ancient, folding his arms beneath the cloak. "He led us to believe that Chernobog was completely destroyed instead of leaving his shadow to linger, waiting and biding his time to strike back at us."

"I told you before that my visions aren't nearly as good as Clockwork," argued the short Ancient with a snobby sniff. "All I saw was that we acquired Phantom and brought him here to use the Portal to reunite him with the human. I had no way of knowing that Chernobog had us all tricked, that he hid himself within Phantom. My vision didn't extend past them entering the Portal together. Clockwork certainly wouldn't give me any answers when I asked for assistance."

Dash scowled at the bickering Ancients, who weren't being much help at the moment. Stomping over to Masters, Dash seized the man by the front of his suit. His blue eyes narrowed, piercing into the man's gaze. "I'm not letting some creepy ass ghost run around in Fenton's body, so you better come up with a way to fix this mess you made."

Masters stepped back, the material of his suit easily slipping through Dash's hands. A sour expression came over his face as he glared at Dash and smoothed out his clothes. "Trust me. I wish to return Daniel to normal just as much as you do." His gaze drifted toward the three Ancients, and his eyes narrowed darkly. "And I think it wise not to rely on their help." Dash couldn't agree more with Masters' thoughts on that point.

The other ghosts came over to join them, all three of them with anger on their faces. Folding her arms, Ember asked, "What's the plan, boss?"


	21. Chapter 21

Kwan poked at the man's cheeks, tugging them back to force a smile onto his face, but Abner only continued with the miserable glare as they walked down the street. "Come on." He sighed, dropping his hands away from the man's face before turning around to walk beside him. "It's not going to be that bad. You weren't planning on keeping this a secret forever, were you?" He frowned as he glanced at Abner.

With his arms folded unhappily over the sleeveless black hoodie he wore, Abner sighed, hanging his head so that locks of dusty blond hair slipped down into his face. "I guess I can't," he grumbled, still not pleased with this decision but somehow Kwan managed to convince the other man to come out of hiding and meet with their friends again. "I just don't want their pity."

Kwan raked a hand through his hair then shook his head. "The only reason they'll feel bad that you couldn't go to that fashion school is because they care. They're your friends. Of course they're going to do the whole 'aw, you poor thing,'" he reached over to pet Abner on the head, receiving a glare, "thing when they hear about it."

"Doesn't mean I'll like it." Abner pouted as they neared the Nasty Burger where they all planned to meet up, except Danny who had a shift at the coffee shop where he worked. At the doors, he paused to take a deep breath to prepare himself for meeting up with everyone again.

When Abner didn't enter, Kwan yanked open the door and gave him a little nudge into the fast food joint. The Nasty Burger was already pretty packed with all the local teens that used it as a hangout. Luckily, it looked like they were the last to arrive when Kwan spotted everyone else already seated at one of the booths. As soon as she glanced up and noticed them, Sam gasped in surprise.

"Abner!" Sam jumped up from the booth and ran over to pull the blond into a tight hug that nearly squeezed the life out of him.

"Hi, Sam," Abner gasped, stuttering.

"You never told me anything about coming back!" Sam dragged Abner over to the booth and forced him to sit beside her after she slid back into her seat next to Tucker.

Kwan bit back a laugh at the awkward shifting Abner did at the embarrassing display. Several people looked up from their tables when Sam shouted. Slipping into the seat across from them and next to Paulina, Kwan shook his head.

"Well, uh, the thing is," Abner mumbled, fumbling for the right words. His hazel gaze flicked toward Kwan for help.

"We never actually left Amity Park," Kwan finished when Abner clearly wasn't going to get out the rest of his words.

"What?" the other three gasped at them in shock, making both of the men wince away from them.

Abner sighed as he slumped down in the booth. "After graduation, I pretty much got kicked out of my parents' house and cut off financially. No money, no go to fashion school." Abner shrugged with a pathetically sad expression. "I had some saved up for getting my own place, but it wasn't really a lot, and it certainly wasn't enough to pay tuition to attend a fashion school, especially one out of state."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Sam frowned, placing a comforting hand on Abner's shoulders. Her violet eyes held that look of pity that Abner so feared his friends giving him. "I could have convinced my parents to pay for you to go to any school you wanted. Heck, I probably have enough of my own money to actually pay for it."

"I don't want some handout," Abner argued with a touch of anger in his voice. "I don't want you to pay my way like I'm some charity case who can only get by mooching off his friends. I might not have the life I wanted, but I'm not that bad off either."

"Rough luck, man," Tucker commented, frowning down the table at Abner.

"And what about you, Mr. I was going to be a doctor?" Paulina folded her arms on the table as she turned to pin a glare at Kwan. "I seem to recall when we last saw each other before leaving to go off to college, you were going that fancy med school." She lifted one delicate eyebrow at him in a look that demanded answers.

"Well, that was the original plan," Kwan said, sighing as he leaned back in the booth. "But I decided being a doctor wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. I don't really know what I want to do. I'm just kind of floating at the moment. I just know that I never wanted to be a doctor. That was just what my parents wanted me to do. Were always forcing me to become." He shrugged and folded his arms. "But I finally decided after graduation that I was tired of living out their dreams for me. I want to find my own way in life."

Paulina narrowed her eyes then punched him, hard, in the shoulder. "You could have told me!" She pouted as Kwan rubbed his arm. "Do you know how lonely I felt with Dash ignoring me and you being vague about everything?"

"Sorry," Kwan mumbled. "We just didn't know how to come out and tell you all."

"Why do I get the feeling that our group has a major communication problem?" Tucker asked.

"Probably comes with having to always make up stories to protect your best friend's secret identity as a ghost," Sam answered, shrugging.

"So," Paulina grinned slyly as her emerald eyes glanced between Kwan and Abner, "how long have you been together?"

"Uh," Kwan stalled for an answer while Abner blushed lightly and looked away. "Define together?" He winced when he saw Tucker and Sam gaping at them in shock. "Because we've been living together basically since we 'went off to college.' But if we're talking about being an actual couple," he shrugged, "only a few days, ever since Dash decided it was time to force me to stop being stupid." Kwan rolled his eyes.

"I knew it!" Paulina pointed a finger at him as her grin widened. "I always thought there was something in the way you always looked at him." Smug victory came over her expression before it fell into frowning confusion. "Wait. When did you talk to Dash?"

"He stopped by a few days ago," Kwan explained then cringed away when Paulina leaned over him with a dark glare at the fact that he kept this information secret. "He only started talking to me again when I agreed to shut up about Danny." He heaved a sigh as he hung his head. "I don't think there's any way to get through to him. He's very adamant about not wanting anything to do with Danny." Sadness washed through him. "Which is a shame. I've never seen Dash so happy with someone until he was dating Danny. He has this whole stupid thing about Baxter men not being gay. I blame his father. He's been hearing that same phrase basically since birth."

"Why are men so stupid sometimes?" Paulina huffed, flopping back against the booth.

"Must be something in our DNA." Tucker shrugged.

Sam's cell phone buzzed first, and other phones went off a second later. A confused look was shared by all at the table before they pulled out their phones to check the message, except Abner who blinked around at them all as he waited to learn what was happening. Kwan frowned, much like everyone else, as he read over the message on his phone.

_Attacked by weird shadow thing and ghost. Ghost half ripped out. Come to Vlad's. - D.F_.

"Anyone want to explain how something like that is even possible?" Kwan snapped his head toward Sam and Tucker, hoping they would have some answers being the ones that knew about Danny's secret the longest.

"What happened?" Abner piped up, still lost in confusion. Kwan slid his phone across the table for Abner to read the message while he continued to stare at Tucker and Sam.

"Well, there was that time when Poindexter booted his soul out of his body." Tucker scratched awkwardly at his cheek, thinking back over all their experiences with ghosts over the years. "But that was more of a soul swapping thing. That's not really the same as this, right?" He looked toward Sam for help.

"He did use the Fenton Ghost Catcher to become 'fun' Danny and 'super' Danny." Sam frowned at that memory. "It basically split him into his human half and ghost half. But I can't think of a ghost that could actually rip the ghost half out of him. And why would they want to do that? I mean, what would they want to do with Danny's ghost half?"

"How about questions later?" Paulina demanded, already shoving Kwan out of the booth. "Let's get over there and actually find out the whole story from Danny."

"Right. Good point." Kwan climbed out of the booth, followed by everyone else as they hurried to leave the Nasty Burger. All of them were worried about what happened to Danny. Fear and shock ran through Kwan the moment he read the words in that text from Danny. His brain was already trying to puzzle out how it was even possible with the little information they were given.

Sam and Tucker piled into her car while Kwan joined Paulina in her car since she would need directions to Masters' mansion. Abner climbed into the back seat of Paulina's car, perhaps not wanting to deal with any questions from Sam as they drove to Masters' mansion, but Kwan was pretty sure the two friends would be focused on their concern over Danny's well being. He leaned back against the passenger seat, rubbing at his temples as Paulina drove. Absently, Kwan told her the directions to the mansion, but his thoughts were on other things.

He never figured out who exactly was drawing out that second personality that Danny seemed to have, or even where the second personality came from. Kwan frowned as he stared down at the words in the text. Danny's ghost half. He squinted at those words, wondering if it was possible for the ghost side of Danny to be a whole other persona. The human and the ghost acted very much alike from what Kwan could remember, and Danny never seemed to suffer from blackouts shifting into his ghost form. Until recently, that is, though it was always possible that he did and never knew about it until now. The second personality wanted to remain hidden. That much at least was clear to Kwan. But what was so special about Danny's ghost that would cause other ghosts to want to rip it out of him? That part remained a mystery to him.

When they arrived at the mansion, Kwan still didn't have any concrete answers to all the questions spinning in his head. He slammed the car door shut a little harder than he meant to, but his frustrations at not being able to solve this mystery was starting to get to him. He didn't like when he couldn't work out the answers to something. At the door, Sam pounded impatiently upon it while Tucker repeatedly pressed the doorbell.

"Will you stop that?" Masters demanded immediately after tearing open the front door. Anger twisted his face, and agitation tensed the muscles of his body. His expression didn't change when he saw the group upon his doorstep. "I suppose Daniel contacted you." He stepped aside to allow them to enter his mansion.

"What the hell happened?" Sam demanded, looking like she was about ready to grab the man by the lapels of his suit and slam him against the nearest wall. "How could Danny get his ghost half ripped out?" She fumed, hands clenching tightly at her sides.

Masters sighed tiredly as he closed the front door. "A little more than that has happened." The weary frown on his face made him look aged by several decades, and a cold feeling ran through Kwan, fearing for the worst. "I'll make this quick." He folded his arms behind his back as he glanced over the gathering in his front hall. "Daniel fought against a ghost that had some sort of ability that ripped his ghost half out of him. According to sources," he sneered, bitterness in his dark blue eyes, "the true enemy, a shadow being called Chernobog that was originally a powerful ghost, sought to attain the ghost within Daniel. Unfortunately, when we retrieved his ghost half, we didn't expect any sort of trap and used my Portal to recreate the accident that gave Daniel his ghost powers."

"Please tell me this Cherna-whatever didn't trick you into fusing himself with Danny instead," Kwan said, eyes growing wide at Masters. The thought hit him quickly after hearing Masters mention a trap, and the frown on the man's face confirmed the suspicion.

"He hid himself within Phantom, possessing him while suppressing his own energy to disguise his presence." Anger flashed in Masters' eyes. "He used the Portal to bind himself to Daniel's body, restoring himself to a ghost form, and with Phantom present as well, he's gained the power of an Ancient."

"What?" Sam and Tucker shouted while the other three were confused at the term.

"I'm sorry. But what's an Ancient?" Paulina asked as her brow creased.

"The Ancients are the oldest, and probably the most powerful, ghosts to ever exist," Masters explained. "They used their powers to seal away Pariah Dark, and apparently, they used their powers to strip Chernobog from ghost to shadow. The others believed him to be gone, but I suspect Phantom knew better. And Clockwork would know as well."

"But how is Danny an Ancient?" Tucker asked, mind still boggling over that fact.

"It would seem that the Ancient used the incident in the Portal to join with Daniel, thus hiding himself from the other Ancients."

"That explains the dual personality!" Kwan bopped a fist on a hand, happy that that piece at least was finally in place.

"Yes, and it was the other Ancients that kept drawing Phantom out, but he didn't want anything to do with them."

"But where is Danny now?" Sam asked, worry creeping into her voice, and Masters' eyes turned sad.

"He's moving around too fast to get a good lock on his location," Dash growled in frustration as he stomped into the hallway, pounding at buttons on a scanner in his hand.

"Dash!"

"Holy shit!"

"What are you doing here?"

Kwan only blinked in surprise with his mouth slightly parted, trying to figure out why Dash was here. He couldn't even think of how Dash would even know Masters, let alone where the man lived.

Dash frowned as he took his gaze away from the scanner. "I suppose Fenton left out a few details when he contacted you all." From their looks, Dash must have gotten the idea that no, Danny didn't tell them about him. He scowled with that expression that usually said he wanted to punch something. "I was there when it happened. All of it. And now that ass possessing Fenton is out there roaming all around town, and this blasted thing won't get a fix on his location."

"Skulker and Ember are already patrolling the town to catch him," Masters added then scowled as well. "And the other three Ancients are trying to get a hold of him as well. Things didn't go as they planned." It was hard to tell whether he was smug over that point or angered over the whole situation.

"Well, I'm useless just sitting around here." Dash shoved the scanner into Masters' hands. "I'm going to get my gear, unless you have something better." He narrowed his eyes at Masters. "Then I'm going to pin that bastard down so you better figure out a way to get that shit out of Fenton." He jabbed a finger into Masters' chest.

"Why do you have gear?" Tucker asked, mild confusion on his frowning face.

"The reason doesn't matter anymore." Dash snapped his glare to Tucker. "Point is if we don't get Fenton and bring him back here, Valerie might actually kill him. And since Fenton's now possessed by that freaking shadow, convincing her that he's not evil is going to be even more impossible. So if you're not going to help, then stay the hell out of my way."

"I have a whole arsenal of ghost fighting weaponry. Take whatever you need." Masters waved Dash off like he was an inconsequential gnat buzzing irritatingly around the room.

"I'm coming too," Sam said immediately as she followed after Dash toward Masters' laboratory to load up on ghost hunting equipment. Paulina took Sam's lead, leaving with the other two but not bothering to say a word.

Kwan rolled his eyes with a half smirk tugging at his mouth. Paulina could be a force to be reckoned with when she tried. "So what are you working on?" He raised an eyebrow in question at the older man as he folded his arms.

"I'm surprised you're not running off after your buddy," Tucker commented.

"I'm not as good a fighter as Dash." Kwan shrugged.

"I'm not a fighter at all," Abner mumbled awkwardly.

Masters coughed to regain their attention. "Right now we're trying to figure out a means of removing Chernobog from Daniel. We also need some way to capture and contain him until we are able to get the evil presence out of him." He turned on his heel and led the way toward his laboratory. "We have Technus to help us. A master of technology such as he should be able to come up with something useful."

"I never thought we would be working alongside Technus," Tucker said, shaking his head. "Or any ghosts for that matter. Especially someone Danny considered his archenemy." They passed Dash, Paulina, and Sam leaving the laboratory as they entered. All three of them wore serious expressions, determined to save Danny one way or another.

Masters snorted once the three of them were well out of hearing range. "He's completely blind, isn't he?"

"If by that you mean he's in complete denial about his feelings for Danny, then yes," Kwan answered as he walked over to one of the computer consoles and took a seat.

"We could try the Fenton Ghost Catcher to remove this Cherbo-whatever," Tucker suggested, bringing the conversation back to the more important topic. "It worked to separate him before."

Masters didn't look entirely convinced at the idea. Kwan caught the look when he glanced up briefly from the computer screen. Abner, meanwhile, looked around the laboratory with an awkwardness about him. When he poked at one of the devices and it squirted out green goo, Abner stumbled away from it, wincing under Masters' glare.

"If we could rework it to target only Chernobog in the separation, it might be a plan." Masters placed a hand to his chin as he thought about it. "But first we would need to know his ecto energy signature to program into it."

"Not necessarily," said the ghost in the laboratory that Kwan guessed was Technus as he glanced up from the papers that he was reading. "If we use something like the Fenton Ghost Catcher and it separates all three entities, we might be able to use the merge side to reunite Danny with Phantom. I believe Chernobog was purposely misleading us into thinking that we needed the power of the Portal to reunite them in order to make his binding to them successful."

Masters blinked at the ghost then frowned. "Yes, I suppose that would make more sense." His jaw set tightly in anger. "My worry for Daniel's health may have blinded me into making a hasty decision. But we had no way of knowing the exact amount of time Daniel had left before his soul energy ran out. Without Phantom, he would have only kept getting weaker."

"You had no way of knowing," Tucker said, trying to be positive. "Even those Ancients were fooled. But what exactly does this Cherki-whatever want? Why did he do all of this to take over Danny?"

"It appears he expected a fourth Ancient to be present but only found three." Masters folded his arms, deep in thought about that point. "He's looking for that fourth Ancient with the intent to destroy him. When we questioned the other Ancients, they couldn't tell us anything about his whereabouts. Apparently he's been in hiding from them for quite some time."

"And they refused to tell us what sort of beef he might have had with them," Technus grumbled. "But there was clearly something that struck a wrong cord among them."

"What about something like this?" Kwan asked, pointing at the computer screen before him. The others gathered around him to look at what he found.

"The Ecto-Stoppo-Power-Erfier?" Masters raised an eyebrow at it. "With a name like that, it sounds like something that moron Jack Fenton would invent." He sneered at the man's name.

"I thought we could use as much help as possible," Kwan said, shrugging. "So I hacked into the Fenton's network to pull up files on their inventions. This supposedly removes powers from ghosts. If we hit him with this, he wouldn't be able to use his powers to fight back. He'd be about as powerless as a normal human. And," Kwan typed away at the keyboard, "here's the blueprints for the Ghost Catcher."

"You hacked the Fenton's computers?" Masters stared at him.

"It's not like it was hard." Kwan frowned, brow creasing. "They didn't exactly set up very much in the way of protection."

"I can't believe you hacked the Fentons," Tucker mumbled then shook his head. "I can't believe you even know how to hack!"

"You thought you were the only techno geek?" Kwan glared in annoyance at the other man. He might have played the idiot during high school, but anyone that looked at his grades would know he wasn't. He simply didn't go around showing off how much of a techno geek he really was.

"Don't start arguing," Masters growled, silencing both of them. "We need to work quickly to detain Daniel before something terrible can happen. Such as Valerie finding him and shooting him with poison again." He turned his gaze back to the computer screen then brought up the data on the Ecto-Stoppo-Power-Erfier again. "This might be useful; however, the size of the cannon would make it too difficult to use against him. We need something that they could carry easily, like a blaster or a bazooka. We'd need to condense this into a smaller size."

"I think we should be able to manage that," Technus said as he scanned over the blueprints. "It just needs a little reworking to get the basic parts that make it work fit into a compact size. Leave it to me." Technus smirked as various bits and parts around the laboratory glowed green and gathered toward him as he got to work on the invention.


	22. Chapter 22

This wasn't working! Chernobog ground his teeth in frustration as he floated over the buildings in the town of Amity Park. He darted around the entire town without any sign of the missing Ancient. Pushing his senses to their limits, he searched for the familiar energy signature but came up empty. Red eyes narrowed at all the happy _humans_ below him going about their pathetic, meaningless little lives as he thought about his current dilemma. He couldn't exact his revenge upon the Ancient that helped in reducing him to a pathetic shadow if he couldn't find him.

"You know something," he growled darkly, arms folding over his chest as he tapped a black claw against his bicep. "Tell me where to find him."

 _I'm sorry_ , Phantom spoke inside his head, sounding completely baffled by his demand. _I have no idea what you're talking about_.

_Is this what it was like for you? _asked that pesky human Danny. _Wait. Could we have talked like this with each other the whole time?_ If Danny had a mouth at the moment, Chernobog was certain it would be hanging open in shock.__

___I actually never gave that much thought_ , Phantom replied in a pondering tone as Chernobog fumed, face scrunching up in rage. _I suppose it would have been possible, but you probably would have thought you were going crazy at the beginning_._ _

___Good point_ , Danny mumbled, and Chernobog thought he felt a mental nod from the human. _It was already weird enough discovering I had ghost powers without adding a whole other personality on top of that. Am I really Danny Fenton though? I mean, I didn't die for real that first time, right?__ _

___You're the real Danny_ , Phantom assured him, and relief flooded through Chernobog in response to Danny's feelings._ _

__"Silence!" Chernobog shouted, shooting off a burst of black toward the town below him. The ball of energy slammed into a parked car, smashing through the roof. The irritating beeping of the car alarm filled the air along with the screams of nearby humans. When they looked up and spotted him floating overhead, several of them pointed at him as they shouted while others merely fled from the scene. Humans were such pathetic beings._ _

___That was completely uncalled for_ , Danny said with the sense of folding his arms and glaring his eyes._ _

___You were the one that started talking to us after all_ , Phantom pointed out with that annoying air of superiority._ _

__"You can stop thinking you're better than me," Chernobog growled. "I'm the one in control now in case you missed it." He raised a fist that glowed darkly. "Now tell me where to find him."_ _

___How can I tell you something I don't know?_ Phantom asked pointedly, not helping with Chernobog's already frustrated mood._ _

___You know who would know?_ Danny piped up, trying to sound innocent. _Clockwork_._ _

__"You two are infuriating!" Chernobog struggled to reign in his anger at the mention of Clockwork's name. Going up against that blasted Time Keeper would be a fool's mission, and Chernobog was no fool. Clockwork would know of any threat against him long before it happened and would take steps to prevent anyone from succeeding in defeating him. Chernobog wasn't going to waste his efforts in a pointless battle, instead focusing his attention on the ones that ruined his life. "I don't know why you're protecting him. You wanted to be free from your duties as an Ancient, and now you are. You should be rejoicing at the fact that I want to destroy the very beings that took away your freedom."_ _

___Does he really expect that to work?_ Danny asked in a bored tone. _It's impossible to hand out information when you don't know anything_._ _

___Whatever happened to you?_ Phantom sighed in disappointment. _You were such a nice, gentle ghost when I met you. All you wanted was to be my friend. Then suddenly you were all crazed with this need to become all powerful_._ _

__"I'm growing tired of your lack of cooperation," Chernobog muttered, having forgotten how chatty the young Ancient could be at times. "Tell me what I want to know or I'll make you regret it."_ _

___How exactly do you plan on doing that?_ Danny questioned with genuine curiosity. _You already have us trapped within you, no way to break free. What else could you possibly do to make us regret anything?__ _

___Besides we don't know anything_ , Phantom added dully._ _

__His right eye started twitching at their responses. Chernobog couldn't do much to them while they were merely consciousnesses living within his head. He could slam them down into the dark recesses of his mind where their voices would no longer be heard, but if he did that, he wouldn't get any answers from them. Grinding his teeth, he tried to think of a plan that might force them to start telling him what he wanted to know._ _

__Crashing down below brought his attention to the chaos his burst of anger caused. Delight flashed in his red eyes, a cruel twisting smirk stretching from ear to ear, as he spied the assault RV speeding down the street, causing more damage than that one small attack he threw at the car. The RV came to a stop when it rammed into a lamppost, knocking it over to crash into the wall of a building. This development could work well to his advantage._ _

__"Halt, you waste of ectoplasm!" shouted the large man as he jumped out of the RV. The weapon in his hands raised, preparing to fire at the ghost._ _

__"It's that Danny Phantom kid again," the woman said, dropping to one knee as she aimed the bazooka she held, targeting the ghost above them. "I always knew that ghost was evil."_ _

__"Maybe I can't hurt you," Chernobog said, turning in tangible to avoid the blasts that came from the couple below him. "But I can hurt them." He pointed down toward the couple as a ball of black energy gathered at the tip of his clawed finger._ _

___NO!_ Danny screamed in panic and fear, drawing a laugh from Chernobog. But his protest came too late as the energy ball shot down toward the couple. When they saw it coming, they dodged out of the way in time to miss being caught in the explosion when the attack blew up their RV._ _

__"But killing them wouldn't be much fun, now would it?" Chernobog laughed, sensing the terror in his mind radiating from the human's consciousness. Danny didn't want his parents to die, especially not by the hands of his own body. "Maybe I should reveal the truth to them. Then you wouldn't be able to return to them even if you somehow managed to regain control of your body. Would a pair of ghost hunters ever accept a ghost for a son?"_ _

___Don't!_ Danny begged, like he could somehow sway Chernobog if he pleaded enough for him to stop._ _

__Danny's parents were already recovering, getting back to their feet. Ignoring Danny's cries for him to stop, Chernobog dove down toward the street. If they weren't going to cooperate with him, then he would have to use drastic measures to pry the information out of them, even if it meant breaking the human who provided him with a usable body._ _

__The woman reached behind her, whipping out a metal rod that extended out both ends. She thrust the glowing green end of the weapon at him the moment Chernobog neared her. Hitting the ground, he crouched low as the Ecto Saber speared the empty air over his head. Out of the couple, she seemed like the most dangerous and the one to keep an eye on. Raising his hands toward her, Chernobog collected energy between his hands then released it in a blast that slammed right into the woman's stomach. With a pained shout, she flew backward away from the ghost. Her husband moved with surprising quickness to catch her before she was thrown into the wreckage of the RV where small fires still burned from the explosion._ _

___They have nothing to do with this_ , Danny shouted, still trying to find some way to distract Chernobog from attacking his parents. _Just leave them alone! We seriously don't know anything about the missing Ancient_._ _

__"Lies," Chernobog muttered darkly, narrowing his eyes in anger._ _

__"No ghost hurts my wife and gets away with it!" the man shouted, enraged over the attack. "Eat toast, you vile collective consciousness of ectoplasm energy!" He raised an arm, and a device sprung out of his wrist._ _

__"This man is joking, right?" Chernobog laughed when he saw the double slots in the device made it resemble a toaster._ _

___You'd be surprised how many of his 'ridiculous' ideas turn out to work really well_ , Danny returned with a growl in his voice. Chernobog could almost feel his nonexistent eyes glaring into him._ _

__Blasts fired from the wrist device, looking remarkably like slices of green toast being fired out of it. Deciding it was probably best not to risk discovering if this was one of the times the invention actually worked, Chernobog back flipped away, missing the several shots that pelted into the pavement of the street. Each Fenton toast shaped blast that hit the ground boiled into a foam substance upon impact. Chernobog didn't want to know the effect that would have on him if it actually struck him. Launching off the ground, he soared into the air, flying over the couple still trying to land a hit on him._ _

__"This grows tiresome," Chernobog grumbled as he threw an arm across his body. A wave of black energy crashed down, tearing up the street. The ghost hunters were forced to leap out of the way or suffer the damage of having the energy slice through their bodies. "If you don't tell me his location now, I'll kill these pathetic humans. And I won't stop there. I'll kill everyone that you hold dear. Then I'll just keep killing until at last you tell me what I want to know." When he spotted the hunters aiming at him yet again, Chernobog threw up a shield of black energy. The shots from the ecto blasters bounced harmlessly off the shield, unable to penetrate it._ _

___Why do you think we have any idea where he is?_ Danny shouted furiously. _I didn't even know Phantom was an Ancient until you ripped him out of me! If anything, the one you're looking for is probably still in the Ghost Zone. Why don't you look there?__ _

__"Because I know he's not there," Chernobog growled, dropping to the ground. Tendrils of black energy shot out from him, grabbing hold of the weapons within the hunters' hands. The couple tried to fire at him, but a quick jerk of the tendrils ripped the weapons from them. Twisting tightly, the tendrils crushed the ecto blasters into useless crumpled scraps of metal. "I've played around long enough with you worthless humans." He leveled a cruel smirk upon them, but they only glared back at him with a strong determination to destroy the ghost before them._ _

__"We aren't finished yet!"shouted the man, searching his orange jumpsuit for another weapon to use against the ghost. "We'll rip you apart molecule by molecule so you'll never be able to hurt the people of this town again."_ _

__The woman yanked out another weapon, and Chernobog laughed when he saw the glowing rope in her hands. It hardly looked like a formidable weapon to use against a ghost, even one not empowered by an Ancient. When the lasso flew toward him, Chernobog snatched it out of the air with a roll of his eyes. As soon as he took out the Ancients, there would be no one to challenge him. Everyone else, human and ghost, were simply far too weak and pathetic to stand against him. He yanked on the rope, forcing the woman to stumble toward him. Smirking, he reached out his free hand to grab hold of her throat._ _

__A fist slammed into his face, knocking Chernobog to the ground. He skidded across the rough pavement until he came to a stop with his head and shoulders hanging over the gorge he carved earlier into the street. Glowering as he pushed himself up onto his hands, he shot his red eyed glare back to the hunters. The man stood before his wife, his arm still extended after the punch as fury twisted his face. He wore some sort of metal gauntlets on his hands now._ _

___Go, Dad!_ Danny cheered, his smug happiness grating on Chernobog's nerves. _They might not seem like great ghost hunters, but trust me. If you let your guard down or hurt someone in the family, you're getting your ass kicked_._ _

__"You're forgetting that I could easily prove to them who Danny Phantom really is," Chernobog growled quietly, quickly phasing through the ground before Danny's father could pound his metal coated fist into the ghost._ _

___Threatening me to talk won't help you get the answers you want_ , Danny pointed out, anger and fear rising in him at the thought of having his parents discover his secret. _I don't even know who this Ancient you're looking for is. Anyway, fighting my parents is just wasting your time. The Ancient clearly isn't here. Maybe instead of playing around here, you should just keep looking elsewhere_._ _

__Chernobog scowled as he shot out of the ground, right under the man's nose. Catching the hunter off guard, Chernobog blasted him hard in the chest at point blank range with a black energy ball. He didn't bother sticking around after his attack struck the man, sending him flying backward. After turning invisible, Chernobog tore through the sky as fury thrummed through him. Tormenting the human wasn't getting any response out of the Ancient. He wouldn't find his target if the Ancient refused to speak, but he was still unable to locate that missing Ancient. The energy signature remained hidden from him._ _

__"I'm not through with you yet, Phantom. I'll figure out some way to make you speak," Chernobog threatened darkly as he flew around the town. If the Ancient planned on hiding, Chernobog would need to do something to force the Ancient into the open._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently Ao3 hates too much italicizing in one chapter because the formatting won't stick for me. I'm too frustrated to restart again for the 10th time, so I give up.


	23. Chapter 23

Dash didn't waste time grabbing whatever weapons that he thought would be useful from that Masters dude's laboratory. During their initial planning meeting with those two ghosts and the three Ancients, Dash already took the opportunity to look over what the man had in his possession. He grew accustomed to ecto based weaponry when he trained with Valerie, and even if he didn't know what all of the weapons in Masters' laboratory could do, he felt confident in his ability to adapt to the unfamiliar. A smirk tugged at his mouth when he spotted the suits in one of the glass cases lining the wall. They looked like upgraded versions of what Valerie used, and the one she gave him to use. Dash wasted no time pulling on the suit that looked like it would fit him best. The material was a bit loose in the shoulders and other places at first, but in moments it adjusted to fit his body snugly.

Sam and Paulina followed his lead, putting on suits and grabbing weapons. Sam grabbed what she needed with confidence, for obvious reasons familiar with the different weapons and knowing exactly what she wanted when it came to fighting a ghost. Paulina was more hesitant, though her determination to join the fight shone brightly in her emerald eyes. She didn't tend to be one for fighting, but Fenton was her friend. Dash knew well that when friend or family was threatened, Paulina didn't sit back like a weak little girl waiting for someone bigger and stronger to play the hero. When it came to her family and friends, Paulina could show a strength that would shock anyone that didn't know her well. Dash smirked a little when he thought of how Paulina's fighting prowess would surprise Sam.

"We can communicate with these," Sam said as they left Masters' mansion. She held out a pair of devices that looked like they would fit around the ear. "They're called Fenton Phones. Tucker, Danny, and I used them all the time when he was fighting ghosts. This way, we can all patrol around the town and contact each other if we find him."

"The Fentons actually created something useful?" Dash asked, mildly impressed as he strapped the device over his ear. During high school, there were plenty of times where Fenton's parents showed up at the mention of a ghost, and usually they looked like fools when their inventions didn't work properly.

"They aren't complete idiots," Sam growled, narrowing her eyes, but Dash imagined the Goth was thankful that Fenton's parents were never smart enough to figure out her friend's secret.

"If these suits are anything like mine," Dash said, checking something on the left forearm of his suit. "Yup! There's an ecto energy tracker on here." He grinned proudly as he typed in a few key strokes. The display showed multiple blips indicating the location of a ghost. Three of them he knew were the Ancients, and another three were Ember, Skulker, and Technus. One of the blips had to be the shadow thing possessing Fenton. But there was another blip in the same location as Technus that made Dash's brow draw together in confusion.

"I would totally start demanding an explanation as to why you know so much about this ghost hunting stuff," Paulina said, pointing a finger at him as she narrowed her eyes, "but right now rescuing Danny is far more important. I'm not going to forget about this later though." By the look on her face, Dash knew she wasn't lying about that.

"So we can identify his location with this thing," Sam said, scanning over the tracker on her own suit. "But - oh, I see." She frowned, discovering the probably Dash suffered earlier. "He really is moving around quite fast. There doesn't seem to be any sort of pattern to it either."

"Which is why we're stuck having to split up and patrol different areas. If you manage to locate him, contact us immediately and try to draw him into a fight or a chase or something to focus his attention to keep him in a specific place long enough for everyone to reach you," Dash explained, jaw setting in frustration. He didn't like this situation at all. From the moment Fenton suggested repeating the accident with the Portal to recombine with his ghost half, Dash felt like something was terribly wrong with the whole thing. Fenton was determined to get his ghost half back, and Masters was too worried about leaving Fenton in his current condition to stop it. Despite his concerns, Dash was powerless in that situation to do anything. Now they had to deal with the consequences involving a crazy shadow being in control of Fenton's body.

"I'll take this north sector," Sam said, tapping a section of the scanner. "And Paulina, you take this eastern one. Dash, you can have this western one."

Dash glared at her, flashbacking to his anger at Fenton for trying to assume the leadership role while they were fighting that ghost and the shadow. But squashing down any snappy remarks at her, he realized there was little point in arguing about who the leader was. They needed to work together in order to save Fenton, so if he had to sit back and play the follower sometimes, Dash guessed that was simply what he would have to do. With all of them in agreement, they took off for their different patrol sectors on the speed boards that appeared under their feet.

Dash grinned as he flew off toward the west. Already he was enjoying the upgrades to the equipment. The board was much faster and maneuvered far better than the one Valerie gave him. Valerie might have more experience than he did after her years of ghost fighting, but she was still subpar when it came to weaponry and making improvements on her equipment. She made small adjustments here and there, even told him about the surveillance that her original supplier installed in her suit before she took a closer look at everything and debugged it all. But she wasn't even close to Masters' level when it came to developing new inventions. Dash saw more than a dozen weapons within Masters' laboratory that were far more advanced than the old ecto weaponry Valerie used. Probably the only thing that stood out where Valerie was concerned was that dart gun that Dash never took very seriously. He never imagined that Valerie was working in the shadows on a poison that could kill Fenton, but the realization still left him feeling sickened by her actions.

Glancing all around, Dash saw no signs of the possessed Fenton. Everything was calm and quiet in this part of town. He kept an eye on the scanner, checking for where their target appeared next. The blip stayed solitary for several moments in the southeast of town. Dash twisted around on his speed board, abandoning his patrol sector to chase after Fenton. If he pushed his board to top speed, maybe he could reach Fenton's position before he had the chance to disappear to some other part of town. But the curiousness of it puzzled him as Dash tried to figure out why Fenton stopped in that area when he was darting around so much previously. The terrible thought that the possessing shadow finally found the missing Ancient crossed his mind, but Dash couldn't understand why an Ancient would hide in Amity Park of all places. He shook his head, barely understanding why an Ancient would merge with Fenton to hide from his fellow Ancients.

Dash blinked at the torn up street below him, spying Fenton's parents recovering from battling a ghost. But he wasn't really seeing the damage done to the town as a thought turned in his head. An Ancient merging with a human? His mouth pulled downward as he narrowed his eyes at the ground. He was tempted to contact Masters, assuming that the man would probably build in some sort of communications unit into the suit so that he could keep in contact with the wearers. A thought came to him that he wanted to discuss with that old geezer. But the idea fled him when static cackled to life in his ear.

"Dash! Sam! Come quick!" Paulina shouted into the Fenton Phone she wore, panic wavering in her voice.

Dash snapped his eyes to the scanner, paling when he spotted the blip in the sector that Paulina was assigned to patrol. When he looked, he wasn't surprised to find the communication unit in the same place as his old suit. Dash yanked the helmet over his head and switched on the communications. "Hey, old man," Dash called as he redirected his flight toward Paulina's sector. "If you can speak with those ghosts, tell them to head toward the east and help us beat this shit."

Leaving the communication unit open, Dash sped up on his way to reach Paulina. Even if she was a capable fighter, Dash didn't like leaving her face off against the possessing entity alone. None of them did well against this Chernobog ghost after using the Portal to bind with Fenton and the Ancient. It knocked them all back like ragdolls, but Dash would bet some of the others present at the time were as stunned as he was and unable to react right away. Fenton's parents didn't look hurt when Dash spotted them, but they certainly hadn't won that fight. Grinding his teeth, Dash wondered if that shadow thing was trying to break Fenton's soul by attacking his parents. He didn't see any reason in it, but other than wanting to find that missing Ancient, Chernobog didn't seem interested in anything else at the moment.

When he arrived on scene, Dash froze as he watched Paulina fly through the air, slamming into the wall of a building. He dove quickly, pushing his speed board to its limits as he swooped in to catch her before she could drop the several stories to the street below them.

"He's really strong," Paulina groaned, holding a hand to her head. She wore her helmet, which Dash was thankful for since it protected her from receiving a worse injury when she hit the wall.

The cruel laughter chilled him, and Dash turned his gaze to the white haired ghost as Chernobog fired blasts of black energy into the buildings around them. They tore through the walls, sending chunks of debris to the street. Screams filled the air as people ran away to avoid being crushed under broken sections of brick walls. Smoke billowed from holes in some of the buildings, and Dash prayed that any people inside those buildings managed to flee before getting injured in the destruction.

"Are you okay to fight?" Dash asked, not wanting Paulina to force herself if she already sustained too many injuries before he arrived.

"Yeah, I think," Paulina said, still a bit dazed. After activating her own speed board, she climbed out of Dash's arms. "He caught me off guard with that blast." She dropped her hand from her head to wrap around her waist.

Dash grabbed Paulina around the waist, shooting backward with her to avoid a ball of black energy that fired toward them. "Time to fight," he muttered with an unhappy note as he retrieved a blaster its holster.

Dash hated that twisted smirk upon the familiar face of his once hero as slit red eyes narrowed in their direction. The expression looked so wrong on Fenton's face, and Dash wanted to soar at him and beat that Chernobog shit out of Fenton. A shallow cut on the ghost's pale cheek beaded with green blood, and Dash almost grinned smugly that Paulina managed to land an attack on him. An almost visible dark aura surrounded Fenton's body as Chernobog gathered his energy for an attack.

"You shouldn't have come," Chernobog said in Fenton's voice, making it sound strange. "Poor little lover boy is crying for me not to do anything to hurt you." He flexed his fingers beside his head, and the dark energy gathered within his palm. "But I think that just means I have to give you a slow, _agonizing_ death. Just for him." When Chernobog fired the energy ball at them, Dash and Paulina both dodged, flying in different directions as the attack smashed through the wall of the building behind them.

"Sounds more like I'll just have to pound the shit out of you," Dash argued as he raised his blaster to aim at Chernobog. He didn't want to hurt Fenton, not anymore, but he believed Fenton would understand. Fenton wouldn't want Chernobog controlling him anymore than any of the rest of them. Fenton would understand why they had to fight and potentially give him severe injuries for the sake of saving him. If Chernobog expected them to go easy because they didn't want to hurt Fenton, then he was terribly mistaken. Dash fired multiple blasts at Chernobog, who weaved through them like he was performing a dance. Even with Paulina shooting at him from another angle, they couldn't land any of their shots.

"Let's kick things up a notch!" The familiar voice came from Ember, who appeared overhead. With a hard strum of her guitar, waves of sound rocked through the air. A spiral of purple energy slammed Chernobog down toward the street.

Missiles came from the left as Skulker fired down upon Chernobog before he could recover from Ember's musical attack. The explosions sent up plumes of smoke that obscured Chernobog's location. Sam arrived soon after with an ecto blaster in hand and ready to fight. Dash thought he caught sight of the three Ancients loitering around like pathetic observers, but he didn't much care about them. They hadn't done much so far to instill any sense of trust in Dash. In fact, he remained completely wary of their intentions. That comment about Phantom being in control after the Portal incident gave Dash the feeling that they didn't care one iota about what happened to the real Fenton, and that fact really pissed Dash off. He didn't care if they wanted Phantom back under their control. He wasn't going to let them erase Fenton just to collect their pawn.

Black tendrils shot out of the smoke, reaching toward each of them. The Ancients raised shields that prevented the tentacles from reaching them. Dash swerved to dodge, but the tentacle bent and twisted to follow after him. Reaching behind him, Dash recovered a knife with a blade that glowed green. When he spun around, he slashed at the tentacle, shaving away the end of it. But it kept coming for him, and Dash slashed again and again, but the thing seemingly had no end. His gaze darted quickly around, only taking his eyes away from the threat attacking him for brief seconds at a time.

Sam blasted at the tentacle chasing her with little luck of destroying it. Every time she blasted off a section of it, the shadow substance surged forward to repair the damage. Paulina opted for a glowing sword, chopping away at her tentacle much like Dash. Ember continued to attack using her guitar, sending out waves of fiery red energy down at the source of the dark tendrils. Whenever the tentacle got too close to her, she switched her hold on the guitar and used it like a club to beat it back from her. A glowing blade popped out of Skulker's right arm, and he used it to slice at the tentacle while firing with other weapons toward Chernobog.

Dash growled in frustration as he sliced through the tentacle once again. This was like fighting the shadow in the warehouse again: endless as it continuously regenerated its mass. Dash switched to full power on the blade, the glow shifting from green to white, generating a brilliant light. When the tentacle lunged at him again, Dash stabbed the blade into the dark mass. It wrenched away from him, yanking the knife out of his hand.

A scream tore Dash's attention away from the flailing tentacle before him. He looked over just as the tentacle ripped itself free from Paulina's left thigh. She lost her balance on the speed board, falling as the board blinked out of sight. Dash started to soar toward her when he spotted Ember already diving for the ebony haired woman, weaving through the tentacles in her desperation to catch Paulina. Dash blinked in surprise at the ghost's reaction to Paulina being hurt, but he certainly wasn't going to complain about her saving his friend from a nasty fall that would probably leave her broken and splattered on the street below them.

Something snaked around his throat, tightening painfully as Dash gasped. He clawed at it, tried to tear the looping tentacle from his throat as he realized his moment of distraction caused him to drop his guard and allow the tentacle to finally capture him. A violent jerk dragged him toward the ground, and Dash scrambled for an idea of what to do in this situation. He gave up his struggling with one hand as he groped for a weapon within reach. His hand closed around a short baton tucked into the back of his belt as the tentacle drew him right in front of the familiar face of Danny Phantom that Chernobog twisted with his cruel smirk. The tentacle tightened ever so slightly as those red eyes gleamed in delight.

"You all should have just stayed out of my way," Chernobog told him, amusement seeping into his voice as he choked Dash with the tentacle. "Maybe you would have gotten the chance to live a little longer." A blast of pink energy made Chernobog jump back to avoid being struck. He snapped his gaze toward the offender that fired at him.

"Still think he hasn't corrupted you with his lies?" Valerie demanded with a cold sneer in her voice. "He still looks pretty evil to me." She raised her ecto blaster to fire at Chernobog again, and Dash tried to shout at her but couldn't manage to get any words out with the tentacle strangling him. When she fired at him a second time, Chernobog leaped into the air, avoiding the pink blast that dug a hole into the pavement where his feet were seconds ago. The tentacle lifted Dash high into the air then swung him downward, releasing him to fly crashing into Valerie. It all happened so quickly that Dash couldn't activate his speed board to change course and Valerie couldn't dodge in time. He slammed into her, knocking her to the ground under him.

"Pathetic humans," Chernobog sneered at them before twisting his head around to glare at something overhead. "It's time to stop playing around with the small fries. He'll never come out until his brothers and sister are in danger." He soared upward, sailing high into the sky. As he climbed to his feet, Dash vaguely realized that Chernobog was going after the Ancients.

Valerie growled as she stood, the speed board appearing under foot in preparation to chase after what she believed was Danny Phantom. "You can't tell me after that, that you still believe there's anything good about Danny," she snapped, anger fueling more than just her voice. "I'm killing him and ridding us all of his evil!"

"No!" Dash shouted, activating the weapon still clutched in his hand.

Swinging the glowing blade, he sliced straight through the front end of the speed board. The explosion of the destroyed machine threw them both backward, Valerie slamming into the wall of one building. Dash's weapon tore out of his hand, flying off somewhere out of reach. Without the speed board, Valerie was grounded and forced to the use of ranged weapons only. When he was able to get up again, a section on the left side of his suit was damaged and showing red, wrinkled flesh, Dash stomped over to Valerie. He grabbed hold of her suit and shoved her into the wall again.

"That's not Danny," Dash growled darkly as he held her pinned against the wall. "He's been possessed by an evil ghost, and we're going to save him. So stay the hell out of our way."

"After everything he did to you," Valerie bit out with barely suppressed rage, "you're actually falling for him?" Disgust tinged her voice as she grabbed hold of his arms. Lifting up her legs, she shoved them hard into his stomach, striking close to the burning ache in his left side. Dash released his hold, stumbling back with a grunt as he held a hand to his side. Valerie swung her foot at him, but Dash reacted quickly, using an arm to block the kick.

"I haven't fallen for anyone," Dash growled, throwing a punch at Valerie's head. She dodged, his fist barely grazing the side of her helmet. When she tackled him in retaliation, knocking him to the ground with a grunt as his back slammed against the pavement, Dash positioned his feet under her, kicking her off him with a hard shove. They rolled over and got to their feet, glaring at each other from behind the dark visors of their helmets. "I simply figured out something that you're too blind with hatred to realize," Dash continued, pointing a finger at Valerie. "So you had some hard times in your life. Big deal. Everyone struggles through life. Everyone has to deal with shit that makes them feel like their lives are ruined. But you get over it, you pick yourself up, and you move on. Danny might have accidentally cost your dad his job. But so what? A job's a job. He could always get another. It's not the end of the world. You still had him. So stop trying to kill Danny over something so stupid!"

Valerie snorted, and Dash almost thought he could hear a smirk in it. "If you don't have any feelings for him, why is it Danny now? You always called him Fenton before."

"That - Argh!" Dash shouted in frustration. "That has nothing to do with anything! Valerie, seriously, just let it go."

An explosion overhead made them both dodge out of the way as Skulker's body crashed down where they were standing. Sam flew over to cover the ghost as he recovered from a nasty blow that left his ecto suit marred with scorch marks and dented in places. When he scanned the skies, Dash couldn't find Paulina or Ember anywhere, but after she received that injury to her left thigh, Dash wasn't sure he wanted Paulina to try fighting after that attack. He knew she was tough, but that didn't mean he liked seeing her getting hurt. One of the Ancients was missing, but with the hoods of their purple cloaks obscuring their faces, Dash wasn't sure which one disappeared from the fight. The other two struggled to fight against Chernobog, throwing attacks that got absorbed by the dark energy and flung back at them. Dash could see tears in his clothing, green blood dripping from Chernobog's wounds.

"He looks beyond saving to me," Valerie said as she, too, watched what took place in the sky. "How exactly do plan to go about 'saving' him? Are you going to change him back with the power of your love?" Her sneer was evident in her voice.

"I'm not in love with him," Dash shouted back at her, narrowing his dark blue eyes at her. "Hey, geezer," he muttered to the communication unit in his suit. "If you're listening, I hope you've come up with some sort of plan by now. We could really use the help." He winced as he watched the two Ancients get thrown into each other.

"I'd appreciate it if you would stop referring to me as a geezer," Masters grumbled in response. "As for a plan, we have a device that will make capturing him much easier. Technus can get it to you in-"

"Oh let the tech geek stay," someone else said, but Dash didn't recognize the voice. "He's not much use in a fight anyway."

"Hey!" Technus protested.

"Wasting time," Dash shouted at them.

"Just hand over the weapon," ordered the unfamiliar man. "We both know I'm your best option."

"I don't care who brings it. Just get over here. Now!" Dash directed his attention back to Valerie. "You're a decent fighter, and right now, we could use the extra help to contain him. Promise not to kill him, and I won't knock your ass out right this instant."

"Fine," Valerie muttered as she unstrapped the dart gun from around her waist. She dropped the deadly weapon to the ground. "But don't think this changes any of my feelings toward him." When Dash activated his speed board, Valerie climbed on behind him. Then they flew up to rejoin the fight.


	24. Chapter 24

Playing the errand boy wasn't exactly high on his list of things he wanted to do with his time, but he had little choice in the matter. The Master of Time in his irritating, all knowing way instructed him in what he needed to do, and even if he wanted to argue or ignore the orders, he knew that in doing so he would be letting time flow to worse fate in which both the real world and the Ghost Zone suffered from his inaction. In the past, he would wonder why he even cared since he caused enough chaos and destruction for a hundred timelines. But time continued and things changed, old feelings twisting into new desires. He hated to admit it but working under Clockwork changed him for the better, or at least it seemed for the better. He still liked destruction and violence and getting to kick the crap out of things, but it no longer made up the whole of his existence. He learned to let go of the pain and the anger as he developed new skills, abilities that would now come into play.

Stepping through the Portal that closed behind him, he glanced around the laboratory. Technus busily put the final touches on whatever device he was working on while Masters stood in front of a computer console viewing what was happening in the fight thanks to surveillance cameras in the suits of those fighting. He recognized Tucker, of course, and Kwan, who surprised him, as the pair worked on building something that looked exactly like the Fenton Ghost Catcher. It was strangely nostalgic to see the invention again. Then there was the little dusty blond man that he didn't think he ever saw in his lifetime. The man didn't seem to be very helpful with the tech stuff, but he darted around getting parts and tools as needed whenever anyone asked for it, trying his best to provide what little help he could.

"Hey, geezer." The familiar voice came out of the communications unit, and he almost laughed when he recognized it as Dash, his old high school bully. He was getting punched in the face with all sorts of nostalgia today. He never would have guessed that Dash would take up the fight to help save the kid he always bullied in high school.

"Technus can get it to you in-"

"Oh let the tech geek stay," he cut off before Vlad could finish his comment. He grinned widely at the scowl Vlad gave him while the others in the laboratory looked up in surprise at his arrival. None of them even noticed when he came through the Portal. "He's not much use in a fight anyway." He ignored anything anyone said as he held out his hand toward Technus. "Just hand over the weapon. We both know I'm your best option." He snorted at the impatience in Dash's voice.

"Oh god," Tucker said as his mouth hung wide open. "He's out and he's going to kill us all."

He almost laughed at the confusion on Kwan's face and the owlish blinking of the little blond seated next to him. They wouldn't have any clue who he was, but this wasn't his first meeting with Tucker, who understandably was panicking with his half ghost friend currently out of commission.

"What are you doing here, Dan?" Vlad demanded, his eyes flashing red as they narrowed at the ghost before him.

Rolling his own red eyes, Dan feigned boredom. He never got the chance to fight this version of his older half, but now wasn't the time to be picking fights with Vlad. "I'm not allowed to visit with Mommy?" he questioned innocently, unable to pass up the opportunity to annoy his older half. Watching the way Vlad's face twisted with rage, turning as red as a tomato, had Dan close to laughing himself to another death.

"I don't want to know what he means by that, do I?" Kwan asked warily, which only made Dan grinned fiendishly wide.

"You have five seconds to explain your reasons for being her before I start attacking," Vlad growled and almost sounded somewhat threatening.

Dan shook his head, disappointed that Vlad still seemed to have a stick crammed up his ass. The man seriously needed to learn how to lighten up sometimes, though Dan supposed right now wasn't exactly the time for joking. The situation was indeed serious. "Obviously, I'm here to help the shrimp out this mess he's landed himself in. So if you just give me that weapon, whatever it is, I can get out of your way and go kick his ass and get him back here so you can fix him."

"Why should we believe you?" Tucker demanded, trying to sound tough, but it was obvious the sight of Dan left him feeling terrified.

"Because Clockwork sent me here. Do you really think he would release me from that damn Thermos if I was going to be a threat?" Dan snorted, still thinking he could have busted out of that tin can if he had a little more time. He was so close, just a little more power and he could have done it. "He's been training me for this moment because he knew you would need my help." He smirked at Vlad. "Think about it."

Vlad's jaw set as he glared at Dan. "I see," he muttered in annoyance and frustration. "You're the ghost half of Daniel, which means you possess the power of the Ancient."

"Naturally," Dan agreed smugly. "Now are we going to keep wasting time, or are you going to hand over the dinky weapon so I can go?"

Vlad sighed as he leaned back against the console. "Fine. Give him the weapon. He's a strong enough force, especially if he's developed his powers as an Ancient under Clockwork." He dismissed Dan with a wave of his hand as he turned back to the console to monitor what was happening in the fight.

"This is a condensed version of the Fenton-"

"Yeah, yeah," Dan cut Technus off as he snatched the bazooka from the tech ghost's hands. "Point, shoot, he loses his powers. I know. Heard the story already." With a smirk, he saluted the gathering in the laboratory. "See you in a few." Slinging the bazooka over his shoulder, Dan flew out of the laboratory. He already knew the location of where the battle was taking place, thanks to Clockwork's forewarning. Sometimes he still wanted to give the Time Keeper a good ass kicking, but of course, Clockwork would be well aware of any attempt, and his damn time stop ability was a nuisance. Dan learned the danger of that skill after the first attempt on Clockwork's afterlife once he was freed from the Thermos. After that experience, he decided it was best not to mess with a ghost that could control time.

He heard the sounds of fighting long before he arrived on scene. The first thing that Clockwork taught him after releasing him from the Thermos, and he learned to stop attacking the Time Keeper, was how to suppress his energy. Dan discovered the ability proved quite useful when sneaking up on his opponents. Having them not able to sense his approach or his movements gave him an advantage in fights. Right now was merely another example of how useful the skill was as he viewed the battle proceeding before him.

Dan spied Ember on one of the rooftops, keeping any of the dark energy from reaching the woman behind her. When he recognized the ebony haired woman as Paulina, Dan felt utterly baffled by the turn of events. It was a head scratcher to him to find not only Kwan and Dash but Paulina as well pitching in to help save his younger self. The purple cloaked figure kneeling beside Paulina was clearly one of the Ancients. Dan raised a puzzled eyebrow when he noticed the green blossom held in the Ancient's hands as a soft glow spilled down over Paulina's left thigh where the woman apparently received an injury.

Skulker's ecto suit looked like it had seen better days with all the dents and scorch marks and scratches carving away strips of the metal. One of his legs dangled uselessly from a few wires that kept it connected to the suit, which only made Dan think Skulker was better off being such a tiny blob of ectoplasm. The hunter probably wouldn't still be in the fight with the damage he sustained if his ecto suit didn't protect him. He still had plenty of weapons to use against the enemy, though much of arsenal looked busted or depleted of energy, but his flight capability remained undamaged. Sam fought at his side, or at least, Dan guessed it was Sam since her helmet was up to hide her face, but he couldn't think of another woman that would join in the fight to help his younger self. She had certainly improved over the years since he last saw her. Her suit was cut in places, showing off pale flesh, but she fended off the tendrils of black energy better than he would have thought her capable of doing.

Dan turned his attention to the main action of the fight. The two Ancients still in the fight struggled against Chernobog's dark energy that he twisted and controlled easily to attack and defend, absorb and rebound. The Ancient's attacks were ineffective against their enemy's power, which explained why they relied on the two members of their group that weren't present. Dan snorted at their poor attempts, wondering if they even took notice that Chernobog was still relying only on his shadow powers. Even if he merged with an Ancient and his power was increased, Chernobog remained unable to access the whole of Phantom's abilities. Dan smirked at the sneakiness of the Ancient.

His attention strayed from the Ancients when he spotted Dash zooming around on a speed board. Dan smiled when he faintly recalled the time they fought side by side against Ember and Youngblood. Even when he tried to block out those memories when he was still Danny, before his life became nothing but pain and anger, little flickers like this one popped into his head at random. He didn't know whether he liked those fleeting moments of nostalgia or if they only incited his anger and pain, but after five years of living in this timeline, those past emotions dulled somewhat.

Dan's gaze locked on the woman riding behind Dash on the speed board. Several years of fighting the woman and her distinct though somewhat altered suit told him immediately who she was without even needing to see her face beyond the mask. Even Valerie came out to fight against the menace currently possessing his younger self. Seeing her again brought up far too many memories, painful memories. He could still remember that fierce determination in her green eyes the first time they met again after he was freed of his human shell and merged with Vlad's ghost half. He could still recall every word of her long rants, pleading and desperate, though he always turned a deaf ear on her after she ran out of steam and her voice failed her.

Shaking those memories from his mind, Dan focused back on the battle. Now was not the time to be distracted by his past, not while those around him were struggling to ward off their opponent's attacks. Their main problem was the way Chernobog could control his shadow energy, wielding it masterfully to attack and defend. They did manage a few hits here and there, green blood dripping from cuts on his body and a bruise darkening on his face, but they were clearly holding back. They wanted to stop Chernobog without endangering Danny's life, and that fact was giving Chernobog the advantage in this fight.

A wide grin cut across Dan's face. It was time to turn the tables, and Chernobog had no idea what was about to hit him. Dan zoomed down to the rooftop, landing next to Ember as she rang out a cord that sent a pink fist shaped blast of energy at the black tentacles reaching for her. Ember snapped her green eyes at him, narrowing them before she was distracted by another attack. She adjusted the dial on her guitar and strummed out another cord, this time sending out a wave of burning red energy that slammed into the tentacle.

"How the hell did you get out of Clockwork's control?" Ember demanded, and once the tentacle backed off, she twisted around toward him ready to slam him with her musical energy.

Dan rolled his eyes at her, but he should be used to this reaction from everyone. After all, he was evil at which he smirked. "I know this is hard to believe," he snatched the tentacle coming at him out of the air without even looking at it, "but I'm here to help." Green flames burst out his fist, eating its way down the black energy until the tentacle jerked free and retreated. "Clockwork wouldn't have sent me here otherwise."

"Then why are you standing around here?" Ember tossed a look Paulina's way, checking on the woman's condition. From the look of things, the Ancient nearly had the injury to Paulina's thigh healed all the way.

Dan pointed at the guitar in Ember's hands. "I want you to kick up the volume." He grinned widely at the singer's confusion. "Let's knock this punk out of the ring."

When Dan took to the air again, Ember hesitated to follow him, looking toward the human again with worry in her green eyes. Dan lifted an eyebrow at that, never giving much thought to the personal lives of other ghosts, especially the ones that he had a hand in ruining their afterlives. But Ember falling in love with another woman and that woman being Paulina was sort of a mind blowing revelation to him. His mind drifted back to Vlad's laboratory and the little dusty blond that kept so close to Kwan when not trying to be helpful. If it turned out that Sam was dating Skulker, Dan thought his mind might explode from the crazy coupling that apparently happened during his time as Clockwork's lap dog.

"She'll be fine in a moment," the Ancient assured Ember. "The faster you take out Chernobog, the less we'll have to worry about our allies getting injured."

"Just go," Paulina said, waving Ember free to go off and continue fighting.

"Yeah, listen to your girly," Dan said with a hint of taunting that earned him a glare from Ember.

Despite any apprehension she might have about working with him, Ember followed Dan into the air, flying over where Chernobog was laughing at the poor attempts of his foes. Dan snorted as he watched Chernobog block the attack of the smallest Ancient before firing a strong blast at the cloaked figure that drove the Ancient into the side of one building.

"Move out of the way and let the big guns handle this," Dan shouted for all to hear. The remaining Ancient lifted its head toward Dan, who suspected it glowered at him from the shadows of its hood. It made no arguments to Dan's command and simply floated well beyond attack range.

Sam and Skulker recognized him immediately and hurried to pull Dash and Valerie out of the attack zone. Dan doubted the latter two had any clue who he was or why the other two reacted in such a manner, but he smirked when he imagined that panicked, fearful look Sam probably wore the moment Dan made himself known to the whole of those gathered to fight.

"What do you want me to do?" Ember asked, getting ready to contribute to Dan's attack as instructed.

"Set it to amplifying my ability then hit it when I shout," Dan told her with a smug smirk. Five years had increased his power by quite a bit, but with Ember's ability, Dan knew this Chernobog jerk wouldn't be able to withstand the force of it.

Chernobog laughed when he lifted his head to spy Dan with Ember at his side. "Not even the Ancients can stand against my power," he said, a dark aura glowing around him as he leveled a red glare at Dan. "What makes you think you even stand a chance?"

"He's clearly been living under a rock," Dan muttered to Ember, but he didn't even try to be quiet about, allowing Chernobog to overhear the comment. A gleeful gleam glowed in his red eyes when Dan caught the angry, frustrated glower on Chernobog's face. Clearly the shadow being didn't expect someone to treat him like a joke. "Get ready to jam." Dan flicked a glance to Ember, who nodded with a hand poised to strum over the strings of her guitar.

Inhaling deeply, Dan focused the vast majority of his power into this one attack. He could be a careless brute most of the time, relying on pure strength to beat down his opponents, but he wasn't a complete idiot. If he used up all of his strength in one attack, he wouldn't have any energy left if it failed. He knew he was strong enough to defeat this shadow jerk, but even he understood the need to be cautious sometimes. When he saw the tendrils of dark energy shooting forth from Chernobog, reaching out to ensnare him, Dan finally released his shout, the Ghostly Wail screaming down toward Chernobog in rings of green energy. Ember struck her musical cord the second she heard the awful sound, and the stream of purple energy from her guitar slammed into the wail, merging their energies and doubling, maybe tripling, the power of his attack.

Chernobog laughed as the attack shrieked toward him. "Do you really think that will stop-" A pained shout wrenched out of his throat as the Ghostly Wail crashed into him. Narrowing his eyes at Dan, Chernobog drew his dark energy around him, trying to shield himself from the awful sound wave. But the amplified Ghostly Wail tore right through it, and despite all his efforts to fight against its power, the Wail forced him toward the ground. The pavement of the street cracked under him when his body slammed into it. Chernobog struggled to climb to his feet, but the constant force screaming down onto him made it nearly impossible for him to move. A several foot circle crunched down to make a crater as the windows on the buildings near the area shattered, shards of glass raining down onto the street. Chernobog screamed out, rage twisting upon his face.

When he spotted the familiar rings, Dan finally snapped his mouth shut, watching as the light traveled over the ghost's body to reveal the raven haired human. He zoomed down toward the street, reaching behind him to grab the weapon that Technus handed him before he left Vlad's laboratory. Chernobog scowled, muttering to himself as he propped his body up on his arms. Taking quick aim, Dan didn't hesitate to fire the bazooka, sending down a jet of electrifying green energy. Chernobog noticed it too late, weakened from the amplified Ghostly Wail. He tried to dodge, but the bazooka's blast slammed into him, dropping him to the ground again with a shout.

"You were saying something about my attack?" Dan asked, smirking as he touched down before Chernobog.

"You haven't beaten me!" Chernobog shouted and his face scrunched up in concentration. When nothing happened, panic shot through his expression. "What did you do to me?" Rage filled his red eyes, narrowing dangerously at the ghost before him.

"You're powerless," Dan answered smugly.

"Danny?" The shocked gasp drew both their attentions down the street. Dan only blinked at the sight of his parents. No, they weren't really his parents. They belonged to his younger self. His parents died fifteen years ago for him. But a strange emotion bubbled through him at the sight of them. Jack and Maddie, however, were focused solely on the man at Dan's feet now looking exactly like their son. Dan didn't know how long they were standing there, but from their stunned looks, he was willing to guess they witnessed that little transformation of what they probably believed to be Danny Phantom into their son. Both parents could only stand there in silence, not knowing how to react to this discovery of their son's greatest secret.


	25. Chapter 25

The arrival of Jack and Maddie Fenton distracted Chernobog long enough for Skulker to swoop down and imprison him within a cube of bluish energy. Chernobog screamed in rage, throwing himself against the walls of his cage and pounding his fists in the hopes of somehow breaking through the energy. Dan watched with a neutral expression as the form of his younger self struggled so desperately against his prison. Without his shadow powers, Chernobog was virtually human, pathetic and weak with no means of escaping from Skulker's cage.

"We should get him back to Vlad," Dash said, flying down on his speed board to hover before the cage. Chernobog twisted Danny's face with his fury, narrowing the bright blue eyes dangerously like he thought if he focused it enough he might manage to make the blond man's head explode from sheer force of effort. That made Dan smirk, to see the stupid shadow that thought it so much better reduced to a powerless human.

"Get him back to Vlad?" Maddie demanded, finally breaking out of her shock. "What do you mean you're taking my son back to Vlad?" Her violet eyes narrowed at ghosts and humans alike, and behind her, her husband followed suit, glaring at those that would dare to take his son away from him.

"It might be wise not to waste time standing around here arguing," Dan suggested in a bored manner as he folded his arms with a look on his face that suggested he didn't care one way or the other. "I'm sure all of you want to return the little hero back to his former self."

"He's right," Sam said, floating down on her speed board to hover before Jack and Maddie. Her tone, though, suggested that she was agreeing begrudgingly and wasn't completely happy with the fact that she actually had to agree with him, a monster in her eyes. Dan snorted, not really caring what the silly Goth thought of him. "We need to get this evil thing out of Danny before anything worse can happen."

They at least seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation, and though their expressions suggested they didn't like what was happening, Jack and Maddie nodded in agreement that they should take their son to Vlad. Dan didn't miss the questioning gleam in their eyes, wondering how their son ended up becoming Danny Phantom and why these ghosts and humans wanted to take him to Vlad of all people. Maddie especially didn't seem to approve of relying on their old college "buddy" to help her son. A smirk threatened to find its way back onto his face as Dan wondered how they would react to discovering Vlad's little secret as well.

With the Fentons' permission given, Skulker raised the glowing cube containing Chernobog into the air as he started to fly off toward Vlad's mansion. The three Ancients followed after him, and Dan sneered as he watched their diminishing purple cloaks as they flew away. He looked forward to those three going back into the far off reaches of the Ghost Zone, disappearing from the public eye to work once again in the shadows like they usually did until some new unstoppable threat made an appearance. That female Ancient's power apparently worked quite well because Dan spotted Paulina up on her speed board again showing no signs of having trouble standing on her left leg. The humans that fought didn't linger around, speeding back to Vlad's mansion along with Ember.

The only ones that remained were Dan, Jack, and Maddie. He turned back to face them and didn't miss the way they flinched back from him.

"I'll give you a lift there," Dan offered, severing a duplicate from his main form. A hint of fear showed in their eyes when Dan and his duplicate grabbed hold of them, lifting them into the air. Maddie was small and light, easy to carry, and Jack would have been a challenge if Dan wasn't as strong as he was. "So," Dan said, dropping his gaze to Jack as a smirk cut across his face, "I've always been curious how you would react to finding out about who Danny Phantom really was."

It was a question that often danced in his mind before the accident that took his family and friends away from him. After that happened, the question became less important, especially with his insatiable thirst for chaos and destruction. He saw little point to dwell on the past, his memories of friends and family, after they were taken from him. But now that they were here in front of him again, the question reared its ugly head again. They _knew_ now, but Dan still couldn't determine whether that was a good fact or not. Time was a funny thing, and where Jack and Maddie might accept Danny at one point in time, they might not at another point. Different situations resulted in different responses. If things had gone slightly different, maybe Dan might not have turned evil after his family and friends died. But that was another train of thought he didn't like to stray down.

"What does it matter to you, freak face?" Jack demanded, narrowing his eyes at the ghost holding him.

Dan burst out laughing at that response. If Jack only knew who exactly he was talking to, but Dan had no intention of revealing that to the man. They arrived quickly at Vlad's mansion, Dan flying at top speed to reach the laboratory at the same time as everyone else. He arrived last but was only seconds behind the rest. Once he set Jack and Maddie down on the floor, his duplicate snapped back into him.

"What are they doing here?" Vlad questioned the moment he spotted his friends from college present in his laboratory.

"This is some setup, Vladdie!" Jack was already poking at some of the inventions within the laboratory, unable to help himself from acting like a child and candy store.

"They arrived on scene when Dan hit Chernobog with that wail thing," Dash explained, his helmet already removed. He stood next to Valerie, keeping a close eye on the woman. "They saw him transform back after the attack wasted his power."

Vlad scowled at that news, clearly not anticipating the presence of Jack and Maddie. Dan rolled his eyes at that idiotic way of thinking because it should have been obvious to Vlad that Jack and Maddie would turn up the moment a ghost started wrecking havoc in town.

"Okay. We're ready to try this," Kwan said as he stepped back from the large device in the center of the laboratory that looked like a giant dream catcher with glowing strings crisscrossing through the hoop.

"Is that our Ghost Catcher?" Maddie demanded, her mouth pursing unhappily as she glared darkly at Vlad.

"It seemed like the best option for removing the evil entity possessing Daniel," Vlad explained stiffly, returning her glare with a flat stare.

"Don't be too hard on him," Dan said, smirking at Maddie, whose left eye twitched slightly. "If anyone hacked into your files to retrieve the blue prints, it was probably the puppy." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Kwan while he continued smirking like a mad man.

"Did he just call me a puppy?" Kwan asked in utter confusion.

"Dude, I totally don't want to know," Dash replied, sounding rather disturbed and disgusted by the comment.

"Does it matter?" Sam demanded loudly. "Instead of chattering away about meaningless things, can we please fix Danny?" She gestured wildly at the young man still contained within Skulker's glowing cube. "Because while you all might be content to ramble on and complain about inventions, I'd like to get my friend back."

Dan's gaze drifted toward the three Ancients waiting silently lined up against one wall of the laboratory. He wasn't fool enough to believe their intentions were innocent. When the smallest of the Ancients came crying to Clockwork for help with some silly vision it had, Dan was doing his usual lurking in the shadows thing that he tended to do in Clockwork's tower. He didn't have much to do while confined to the tower if he wasn't busy with training. The small Ancient even mentioned that they hoped to bring Phantom back, to make him the dominate personality without any care of what happened to the human half. Some might think that Dan wouldn't care about such things when he killed his human half in his own timeline, but hearing the Ancient mention something like that filled Dan with a rage he couldn't explain. He wasn't going to let the Ancients succeed in snuffing out the human half of this duo.

"Right," Vlad said, frowning down at the young woman. "Then I suppose we should start."

When Vlad nodded to him, Skulker grinned as he lifted the cube into the air. Chernobog sneered at them, too much rage burning through him to bite out any cruel remarks or threats at all those gathered within the laboratory. He settled for a seething glare as Skulker threw the cube containing Chernobog through the Fenton Ghost Catcher. The containment cube faded out when it touched the strings of the device. As he passed through the Ghost Catcher, the single body split into three, each dropping to the floor with grunts upon impact. Raven haired Danny Fenton lay on his back to the left with snowy haired Phantom right beside him. On the right, Chernobog growled as he pushed himself to his hands and knees. His red eyes flashed angrily as he swept his glare all around at them.

"Quick!" Sam shouted as she and Tucker helped Danny and Phantom to their feet then shoved them back toward the Ghost Catcher.

Dan flicked his gaze toward the Ancients as the pair jumped through the merge side of the Ghost Catcher before Chernobog could realize what was happening. The Ancients waited with tense anticipation to see how things would play out, hoping the smallest of them was right in its vision about Phantom assuming control. Dan gritted his teeth as he snapped his attention back to the Ghost Catcher. Chernobog shot to his feet, reaching out to grab the pair before they could pass back through it, but Sam and Tucker stood in his way, holding him back.

When they passed through the net of strings, Danny and Phantom merged back into one, dropping to white booted feet when they came out the other side. He frowned, green eyes staring down at this gloved hands. "I can't use my powers," he announced as he turned his gaze onto Dan. The announcement brought a hushed silence over everyone, and the Ancients radiated with frustration. A cruel grin slipped across Chernobog's black face, his red eyes laughing at the powerless Ancient.

Dan stepped toward the green eyed ghost as he brought the bazooka around again. His red eyes narrowed down at his younger self. "Which one are you?"

Green eyes darted toward the trio of Ancients and narrowed angrily at them. "Phantom," he answered as he turned back to Dan, "but not by choice. I can't do anything without my powers."

Dan glanced toward the Ancients as well, and a slow smirk spread over his face. With a nod, he pressed the end of the bazooka against Phantom's chest and squeezed the trigger. The blast made Phantom stumble back, wincing in pain, but after a moment he was able to float in the air, smiling happily to have his powers back.

"This isn't over!" Chernobog shouted, struggling against the hold Sam and Tucker had on him. His black gloved hands reached out toward Phantom, the claws begging to tear into his enemy.

With a frown, Phantom touched down on the floor again and walked over to him, remaining just out of reach of his hands. "I'm sorry all of this happened to you," he said with regret in his eyes. "I didn't realize what kind of power you had when we met. If I did, maybe I would have acted differently around you."

"Do you think saying sorry fixes anything?" Chernobog growled, fuming in his inability to accomplish his goal.

"Of course not," Phantom agreed, lowering his sad gaze.

"What do you mean?" asked the female Ancient. She stepped forward, lowering her hood to show her face. Her silver eyes watched Phantom with curiosity as she frowned at him. "Why are you apologizing for his cruel acts?"

"Because it was all my fault," Phantom answered bitterly, snapping a glare at her. "He befriended me because he was a nice, gentle ghost, and almost all I ever did was rant at him about my anger with you." He pointed a finger at the three Ancients. "I understood the need for you to have my power when it came to fighting Pariah Dark, but I never got over how angry I was with you all for forcing me into the role of an Ancient. And because of his ability," Phantom gestured with one hand toward Chernobog, "he absorbed that anger into himself and made it his own, and it twisted him into something evil, something with only the vengeance it sought against the Ancients consuming its mind. All my fault because I could never learn to simply let go of that anger toward you. You wanted me as your pawn, but all I've done is make more evil to be cleaned up by innocent people endangering themselves."

"Boohoo for the poor, self centered Ancient," Chernobog growled, red eyes scowling darkly. "But confessing your sins doesn't change anything. I still exist, and my only desire is to finally destroy you all."

"I think not." Dan, without preamble, thrust a fist into Chernobo's chest, burying it deep inside as the black skinned ghost gasped in shock.

Everyone gawked at his action, Tucker and Sam stumbling away as no one was able to comprehend exactly what was going on inside Dan's mind. Chernobog clawed at the arm protruding from his chest, gasping and growling, making all sorts of pained noises in an attempt to break free but unable to while Dan's arm was phased inside him. Phantom remained standing beside Dan with uncertainty in his green eyes. He couldn't puzzle out the meaning behind Dan's actions, but it was obvious he believed the evil future of Danny Phantom had a trick up his sleeve.

"What are you doing to him?" Paulina questioned with some worrying in her voice despite this being the evil creature that tried to keep control over her friend.

Dan ignored the question as he concentrated, brow knitting in deep focus. Chernobog screamed out as he clawed desperately and tried to pull away from Dan before it was too late, but it was already too late the moment Clockwork allowed Dan to leave the tower and join the fight. White flames flickered into life, dancing over Chernobog's body and consuming him in a bright blaze. Paulina gasped in surprise, maybe some others did as well, but Dan couldn't be certain, didn't dare look around at their reactions while he concentrated on what he needed to do. No one stepped forward to stop him, and not simply from fear or because they believed his actions were wrong but because they couldn't puzzle out what exactly Dan was trying to accomplish. His red eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth until finally Chernobog fell silent, stilling and slumping against his arm. Once the flames faded away, Dan yanked his arm free from the ghost's chest, allowing Chernobog to drop heavily to his knees on the floor.

"What - What happened?" asked the dark skinned ghost as he lifted his head. Confused red eyes flicked about the room before landing on Phantom. "Where are we? What's going on?"

Phantom's eyes grew wide, figuring it out quickly. "You took away the hatred! How can you do that?"

"Ask the annoying dick," Dan muttered, folding his arms. "Clockwork was the one that showed me my flames could be used for more than just destroying things."

"I'm still a little confused," the ghost said, blinking innocently confused eyes at the pair before him. "And why can't I use any of my powers?" He turned his gaze down to his hands, frowning when he couldn't use any sort of ghostly ability.

"I'm sorry, Umbra," Phantom said, using the long forgotten name for the ghost. "My anger turned you into a monster." The misery was back in his eyes as he lowered them to the floor. "I'm sorry I never knew until it was too late."

"We shouldn't have to worry about it now." Dan shrugged as Phantom helped Umbra to his feet. "Even if I hit him again with this," he patted the bazooka, "he'd only have the basic ghost powers. The whole absorbing emotions and infecting others and controlling shadows ability thing is gone for good."

"So I'm just normal now?" Umbra frowned sadly then glanced at Phantom. "Maybe that's for the best."

"Okay, okay," Dash said, pushing through to break Phantom and Umbra apart. "So the big bad is neutralized now. Weird." He pointed at Dan with a look that said he wasn't convinced by anything Dan said or did. "But what about the real Fenton?" He snapped his angry blue eyes on Phantom, glaring darkly at the Ancient.

"Now it's back to Fenton?" Valerie questioned with a snort.

"We all know. He's blind," Kwan said in a not very convincing whisper to her, earning a growl from Dash.

"Things are as they should be," the smallest Ancient spoke up, but the female turned her head to frown at him. "Phantom belongs with us."

"Now just wait one moment there," Jack shouted, crossing the laboratory with fury in his eyes. "That's our son." He pointed at Phantom, who technically wasn't their son at that exact moment. "And I'm not letting some stupid ghost take him away from us." Maddie nodded her agreement as she joined Jack in standing against the Ancient. The show actually impressed Dan, an odd sense of pride rising in him at the fact that they would still call his younger self their son.

"Your son is merely a host," said the taller male Ancient. "Phantom is one of ours."

"And that's exactly what none of you ever understood," Vlad snapped, and Dan merely smirked at the gasps that went around the room by those still in the dark about who Vlad really was.

"I knew it!" Dash shouted as he pointed a finger at Vlad, who now supported black horned hair and red eyes.

Vlad's attention, however, was focused solely on three Ancients across the room from him. "Phantom never wanted to be one of us. He was forced into it. You stole away his freedom to make him a pawn, and his resentment over that created a monster. We're as much to blame for this poor ghost growing into a monster as Phantom is. Our power isn't needed at all times, and the three of you, along with Clockwork, have done well enough without the two of us at your beck and call. If ever an issue arises that requires all of our powers to defeat it for the protection of this world and the Ghost Zone, then you can come to us to ask for our help. But until then, I ask that you leave us to live in peace because we won't return with you without a fight."

"Brothers," the female Ancient turned around fully to face the two cloaked figures, "perhaps it's time we stop trying to force them to return to us. We're only creating a bigger rift among our numbers."

"Finally, a voice of reason," Dan said, though his eyes remained narrowed at the Ancients, hardly trusting them. "Don't let the Portal doors hit you on your way out."

With all others present in the laboratory glaring at them, willing to put up a fight should they try to take Phantom away, the three Ancients were forced to give up their goal of recovering their missing members. Phantom, and now Plamius who finally revealed himself, wasn't about to leave with them under any circumstances. The youngest Ancient might be willing to put aside his anger and resentment, but he wasn't going back to them like a beaten puppy with his tail between his legs. The two male Ancients looked like they were ready to mount another campaign to convince their lost members to return with them, but the female Ancient ushered them toward the open Portal, not allowing them the chance. Dan smirked at that. The Ancients could try again and again, but Phantom and Plasmius would continue fighting them.

"This still doesn't change that Fenton isn't Fenton," Dash pointed out, loud and impatient the moment the Portal doors shut behind the disappointed Ancients.

When he turned back, Dan caught a roll of glowing green eyes before Phantom closed them. In a moment, his white hair faded to raven, his clothes changing back to what his human half wore. Bright blue eyes cracked open then blinked a few times as he took in the world around him.

"That was a really weird experience," Danny said, holding his head like it was pounding with a terrible headache. His body was spotted with bruises and cuts, but nothing that looked serious enough to need immediate medical attention. As soon as they realized he was back to normal, friends and family crowded around him, squeezing Danny in a giant hug in relief to have their Danny back. Dash stood back as the scene took place while Vlad remained leaning against the wall after reverting back from his Plasmius persona. Vlad didn't join in the hug, though he did show relief that the young man was safe and in control of his own body. Skulker and Technus hung back with Ember, though Dan suspected the singer might have wanted to join in on the hug, having grown somewhat attached to the "dipstick" as she liked to call him.

Valerie scowled at the scene, hate and disgust still in her eyes. Frowning, Dan approached her while everyone kept their focus on Danny. When she looked up at him, Valerie narrowed her green eyes. It wasn't a completely unfamiliar expression for him to see on her, and Dan knew he deserved every speck of hatred the woman had in her after everything that he did in his timeline. The strange thing about her expression was that her anger was directed at his younger self.

"What do you want?" Valerie demanded, jaw clenched tightly as she spoke.

Raising a hand between them, Dan let a small flicker of white flames grow within his palm. "I know how much you hate Danny for ruining your life," he said, watching the play of emotions in her eyes. The comment shook something within Valerie, surprising her that he knew anything about what occurred between her and Danny. In his time, Valerie had learned to get over what happened between them. When he first arrived in Amity Park after killing his human half, Valerie tried to talk to him, help him to deal with the loss of family and friends even though it was far too late for him at that point. Or at least, it seemed far too late. Dan now knew that it was never truly too late if someone took the chance to turn their lives around. She gave him more than one second chance, only to have him laugh in her face.

Valerie glanced down at the flame between them. "So what? You're going to do the same to me that you did to that evil ghost?" Her glare returned to piercing into his eyes.

Dan shook his head. "Not exactly the same. But maybe I can help dull some of that anger, lessen it enough to allow you the chance to forgive what happened between the two of you and give you the chance to move away from vengeance. Even if you killed him, it would never sate the rage in you. And I know a lot about insatiable rage. The first step is learning to forgive, but that has to be your choice."

Valerie glanced toward the group still swarmed around Danny, though her gaze fell upon the blond man still standing outside the group. Despite all his comments, Dash's eyes kept finding Danny. At the moment, they seemed to be discussing what to do with Umbra now that he was no longer the evil shadow creature known as Chernobog bent on tearing down the Ancients.

"I suppose if Dash can find a way to stop being a jerk long enough to put aside his anger, I should be able to as well," Valerie said after a while of watching them.

Dan held the flame closer to her. "It won't fix everything right away. Don't expect to be all forgiving to him immediately."

With a roll of her eyes, Valerie nodded as she cupped the flame within her hands. She blinked at it then glanced up at Dan again. "It's warm but doesn't burn."

"Not all fire is meant to burn." Dan ran a gloved hand through his flaming white hair.

After staring at his hair for moment, Valerie shook her head. "You're one weird ghost." She held the flame in her hand close to her chest, pressing it into her body. A soft glow surrounded her briefly before fading away, leaving her looking completely unchanged. The only noticeable difference was that her eyes didn't seem hold as much anger as before.

"Just remember that not all ghosts are evil." Dan nodded his head toward Danny. "His actions may have had poor consequences, but he's always tried to do the right thing. I can't say the same for me though." His shoulders hunched up briefly. His choices in the past had been poor. He didn't need anyone lecturing him about the things he did to hurt others.

"That's enough crowding around him," Vlad said, pushing his way through the group around Danny. At some point, Technus and Skulker decided their presence was no longer necessary and vacated from the laboratory, but Ember remained behind, keeping close to Paulina. "I think the boy has gone through enough for one day and could probably use some time to relax." Vlad laid a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Or at the very least, continue this conversation some place a little more comfortable than standing around in a lab."

Many of the others, being exhausted from the fight, agreed about taking things to a more comfortable location, wanting to get off their feet for a while. They filed out of the laboratory, someone mentioning food which the consensus agreed that they should fix a big meal for everyone. An annoyed look passed through Vlad's eyes at that, probably thinking they would eat everything in the house with the number of mouths to feed. Valerie glanced Dan's way, giving the tiniest hint of a smile before she joined everyone in heading out of the laboratory.

"Does this mean we might get to do some experiments on-" Jack got cut off when Maddie elbowed him hard in the ribs.

"Of course we're not going to experiment on our own son." Maddie shot a glare at Jack, who had enough sense to look sheepish as he scratched the back of his head. "We'll go help the others." Maddie pushed Jack toward the door of the laboratory.

None of them missed Jack asking, "But what about Vladdie? He's not family," after they left, nor did they miss the loud smack of Maddie slapping him on the back of the head for asking it. Then the four of them remained alone in the laboratory with Umbra looking awkward and uncertain about his presence there. The poor ghost lost much of its life to the all consuming rage passed to him through Phantom, and now he stood powerless with only a vague recollection of whom he was.

"How long have you known there was an Ancient inside you?" Danny questioned, turning his gaze onto Vlad.

"He only made his presence known just now." Vlad folded his arms as he frowned. "He has no intention of coming out again unless his power is required, though I suppose now that I know of him, we could work out some power exchange in which he allows me access to using his power when needed."

Danny laughed a little. "Phantom says it's no wonder he chose you. You're apparently a lot alike with the whole fatherly thing. Plamius always treated Phantom like a son, and you always wanted me to think of you like a dad." Danny shrugged then glanced toward Umbra and Dan. "Does Clockwork have any plans for him?" He pointed a thumb at Umbra.

"He didn't tell me anything so I'm figuring no," Dan answered with a shrug. "We can give him his powers back, if you want. He's harmless now. Or if he really wants, he could just stay completely powerless."

Danny's blue eyes lit up suddenly, and he smacked the back of hand against Vlad's chest. "He can stay with you! It's gotta be lonely in the big old castle. You can teach him, mentor him, whatever. You can have that father-son relationship you always wanted. And this way, there's someone keeping an eye on him."

Umbra's uncertain red eyes flicked between them. "If it's all right, can I speak with Phantom sometimes?" Hope shone briefly on his face. "I always liked talking with him."

Danny nodded as he said, "I think we can arrange something like that. Phantom says he'd like to try being a better friend if you still want to be his friend."

Umbra smiled, his head bobbing rapidly as his white hair flopped about. "I want to!"

"I suppose that takes care of those arrangements then. Shall we go join the rest?" Vlad questioned, and the practically twins Danny and Umbra agreed, the raven haired man sounding ravenous after this latest ordeal.

Dan watched them all go, finding himself yet again alone. That seemed to be the ultimate ending to his life: always the one left alone. When Dan returned to Clockwork's tower, the Time Keeper would be present, but it wasn't the same as being part of a family or having friends. Clockwork merely tolerated Dan's presence because it was his duty after making certain that Dan existed outside of time and within this reality. All Dan had to look forward to when he returned was a cold, dark lonely room until it was time to train or some silly errand for him to do arose.

"Hey!" Danny's head appeared back in the doorway of the laboratory. "You're welcomed to join us."

Dan snorted. "Are you sure that's wise?"

"You probably could have destroyed Umbra if you really wanted to, but you didn't." Danny shrugged. "And I saw you talking with Valerie. And anyway, Clockwork would have come for your ass if you were going to pose a threat to anything. So," he looked away, "join or not. Up to you." He disappeared from the doorway.

Dan blinked at the empty space. Then he chuckled and shook his head. He should have known that his younger half still believed in giving people second chances, even if that person was his evil future self. It didn't take long for him to debate the choices in his head: a lonely room or the chance to share a meal with people that actually wanted him there. It wasn't a hard choice. Dan left the laboratory, trailing after Danny.


	26. Chapter 26

The whole meal situation was a strange experience. At first, he thought it was weird for them all to just sit down and start eating after everything that happened with Fenton losing his ghost, turning into some rampaging possessed monster, then getting returned to normal. They were even sitting with the ghost that tried to kill them all! But once food was served onto his plate and all the adrenaline from the fight left his system, his hunger made itself known with a loud grumbling growl. Eating, apparently, wasn't as silly an idea as he thought it was. But the gathering around the table made him pause to take a look around every few bites.

At one end of the table, Masters was forced to deal with the constant questions of Fenton's parents. Fenton, though from the look on his face that said he would rather sit somewhere else, was forced next to his father and got bombarded with similar questions about his half ghost condition. That black skinned ghost, Umbra if he caught that name correctly, sat to the right of Masters, looking beyond awkward as he kept his head bowed. Being full ghost, he didn't have any need to eat.

The middle section of the table was occupied by their friends with Sam and Tucker sitting closest to Fenton and trying to help, in a futile attempt, to steer Fenton's parents off the topic of ghosts and experiments. Ember sat beside Paulina, and Dash wouldn't be surprised if they were holding hands under the table. From the pieces he caught of their conversation, they were making plans to meet up during Paulina's next year at law school whenever Ember's tour schedule allowed it. Across from them, Kwan chatted away with Abner, and Dash had to smirk at that, happy to see his best friend in a good relationship.

That left the other end of the table with those that didn't quite fit in to sit in semi silence. Dash took the seat next to Kwan, and across from him sat Valerie, who Dash noticed lost some of that burning anger in her eyes from earlier. He knew something transpired between her and the ghost that sat at the head of the table between them. The ghost sat back in his chair with his arms folded behind his head as he grinned at the table laid out before him. Dash wasn't quite sure, but he thought the ghost was actually enjoying this peaceful moment despite the apparent appetite for destruction he showed during the fight. On occasion, the ghost would stir up some talk with them, asking about things that happened over the last five years, ever since those stupid C.A.T. tests. But he seemed far more interested in Valerie's answers and Dash's responses, which was fine for the jock because Dash only cared about eating at that moment.

When the meal was finished, the crowd started to disperse as the night began to set in and the sky darkened. The couples all seemed to leave in their little pairings, perhaps deciding to go do some date activity with their chosen partners. That fiery haired ghost that swooped in at the end to play the hero disappeared without any indication to where he headed. He simply vanished from sight. Valerie actually managed to hug Fenton before she left, perhaps finally taking the advice to forgive Fenton for past mistakes. There was still anger in her green eyes, but it wasn't the same as before the end of the fight. Fenton's parents begged Masters to let them see some of his inventions, and the man reluctantly led them down to his laboratory again with Umbra trotting along behind them like a lost puppy, which perhaps he was at this point.

Dash dropped down onto the front step, taking a seat beside Fenton as they both gazed up at the slowly darkening sky. "So this was a strange day," he said, leaning back on his arms and trying to appear casual despite how awkward it all felt. Thinking back over everything that happened, he could hardly believe it was the same day, and only hours ago the sun shone high in the sky at noon and Dash was stepping into that coffee shop where Fenton coincidentally worked. That felt like it happened weeks ago after everything that they went through after that fateful meeting.

Fenton's blue eyes drifted toward him as the man frowned. A bandage was slapped over his cheek where he received a cut during the fight, and bruising remained fairly dark around his nose. He had bandages up and down his arms, and there were probably more under his shirt from all the damage his body sustained from their attacks. But despite all the injuries, Fenton didn't seem to be suffering anything more than exhaustion. "I feel like a complete fraud," he admitted as he hugged his legs, bending forward to rest his chin upon his knees. "Oh hush, you!"

"I didn't say anything." Dash blinked at the man, surprised by both statements. He wouldn't expect Fenton to confess something so openly to him like that. It sounded like something he would tell Manson or Foley, not his high school bully and someone that was looking to physically hurt him only hours ago.

"Sorry. I meant that for Phantom." Fenton scratched a hand through his raven locks. "We decided to keep a line of communication open, so he can talk to me whenever he likes. I figure it must be pretty lonely trapped inside my body all the time." He shrugged, turning sad eyes toward the long walkway extending toward the street from the front door of the mansion. "Anyway, he was trying to tell me I'm not a fraud, but it still feels like I am."

"I already told you you're the exact same Fenton I've always known," Dash said as his gaze swept over the man. Maybe not exactly the same in the sense of what he became after the accident with the Portal or in his discovery of being gay, but his personality, the way he acted, his quick retorts in certain situations all reminded Dash of the same old Fenton from grade school. No matter what changes occurred in him since the Portal accident, the very essence of whom Fenton was hadn't changed.

A faint smile tugged at his mouth when Fenton heard that repeated comment. "I always thought that my powers were my own though." He lifted one hand and stared at it like it was his first time realizing the limb even existed. "I thought everything that I accomplished as Danny Phantom, all those fights I won, everything was my power, my strength. But now I learn there's this powerful being inside me feeding me power." He sighed and hung his head. "I just feel like nothing about me is even real. Do I like you? Or is that Phantom's feelings influencing me? Has anything I've done been my decision? Or am I unconsciously following Phantom's will?"

With a roll of his eyes, Dash reached over and smacked Fenton on the back of his head. "Do you honestly think that Phantom would bind himself to you in order to run away from the tyranny of his own kind then turn around and control you in the same manner, like you're just some sort of pawn?" He landed a blue eyed glare on Fenton, who was rubbing at his head.

"But my powers aren't mine." Fenton frowned miserably. "I probably would have died if Phantom wasn't there."

Dash sighed, shaking his head. "Switch with other dude and let him actually speak on this matter."

Fenton's brow furrowed as he frowned, confusion and disappointment clouding his expression. In a moment, blue eyes turned green, and raven hair faded to white, proving Phantom was the one in control.

"Thank you. He wasn't letting me speak at all," Phantom said grumpily. After taking a deep breath, he launched into what he was wanting to say, now that Fenton was unable to do anything but listen. "That Portal accident could have killed you, yes, but there are a number of people who could have survived that electrified ectoplasm surging through their body, forcing a change to their DNA. I wouldn't recommend other people replicating that incident because the vast majority of people would be killed in the process. But, Danny, you would have survived. I've seen other timelines when I visited Clockwork before I made the decision to join with you. I saw you survive in all those timelines. I saw you grow very much the same way you have in this timeline. My presence, my energy flowing in you, increased you chances of survival, yes, but it wasn't the only thing that allowed you to survive. I don't know what it is about you, about Vlad, about that handful of other people that could survive it as well, but your body was able to handle that experience even without me. Your powers as a half ghost are your own. Everything you've accomplished with those ghost powers, you've done on your own. It's true that my presence may have helped you survive wasting away your soul energy when you fought Pariah Dark, Warden Walker, and Daeva, and you might have developed a small portion of my ice powers. But that Ghostly Wail? That one is most definitely all you. You're not a fraud, Danny. You're one hundred percent the real Danny Fenton, and you should be proud of everything you've accomplished in the short time that you've had your ghost powers." A smirk appeared on Phantom's face after the long speech. "And if you're still not convinced, consider this point. It took six Ancients to seal Pariah Dark into that Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. _You_ managed to do it all by yourself."

Dash watched as Phantom relinquished control over the shared body, allowing Fenton to be himself again. "Do you still doubt yourself now?"

"It's kind of hard to argue after all that," Fenton admitted, though there was still that faint hint of depression in his eyes.

Dash reached over, ruffling the other man's raven hair not sure why he was doing it beyond wanting to get rid of that look. "I guess I've kind of been a selfish dick," he confessed, turning his gaze toward the sky. "I never stopped to consider all of the shit you must have to go through with fighting ghosts. I still don't think that excuses the lies, but I guess I can understand all the craziness that takes up most of your life." Even after discovering Fenton was Danny Phantom, Dash never stopped to think of the terrible weight placed upon his shoulders. But seeing exactly what Fenton went through whenever a new ghost threat arose, nearly losing himself to that threat, maybe even dying at the hands of a ghost, it chilled Dash inside, being at the front line of such an event.

"And now my parents know!" Fenton rubbed his hands over his face. "I've been trying so hard to keep it secret from them, and now it's all out in the open."

"Well, if they ever try to cut you open, I'll kick their asses," Dash grumbled, glaring at the night sky. During the meal, Fenton's parents talked excited about the fact that their son and Masters were half ghost. They wanted to learn more about them, how exactly they became half ghosts, their powers, everything. Dash didn't miss the occasional mention of possible experiments, and the idea that they would do something like that to their own son still sickened him. But they, at least, weren't hunting Fenton down like an evil monster that needed to be destroyed. Dash supposed that was one good point to focus on.

Fenton turned his gaze onto the blond man next to him, a wondering look in those brilliant blue eyes. "This morning, I never would have expected to hear you say something like that."

"Yeah, well," Dash shrugged, "a lot changed today." He glanced at his watch. "It's still pretty early. We might be able to catch the final showing of Reign of Doom: When They Bite Back."

"Dude!" Fenton sat up straight with wide, surprised eyes that almost made Dash laugh. "You like Reign of Doom?"

Dash rolled his eyes as he stood up. "I only have the whole collection." He paused as a thought came to him. "Maybe we could do a movie marathon sometime and watch them all."

"Seriously? Man, that would be awesome!" Fenton hopped to his feet with an excited smile. Smirking, Dash shook his head as they left the mansion, chatting about all their favorite parts of the Reign of Doom series of films.

_Five Months Later_

"Dash, are you even paying attention?" Jazz asked, typing her fingers impatiently on desk.

Managing to tear his eyes off the phone in his hands, Dash turned his gaze to her, feigning innocence. "What?"

Jazz snatched the phone from him. Her expression only grew a little more frustrated when she glanced at what had occupied her study partner's attention. "You can't go five minutes without texting him?" she demanded as she quickly typed out a message to send back to the person that Dash had not quite so secretly texted all during their study session.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Dash reached for the phone, fearing the auburn haired woman would text something embarrassing to the man on the other end. Knowing they were siblings, Dash wouldn't put it past Jazz to text something that would make her brother blush bright red. It, sadly, wouldn't be the first time she did something like that when she caught him texting when he was supposed to be studying for an exam.

"Telling Danny that he should get off the phone and do _his_ homework," Jazz answered as she tossed the phone back to Dash, "which is what you should be doing too. You're never going to pass the next exam if you spend all your time talking to Danny like some love sick school girl."

"That's so not what I'm doing." Dash glared at the older woman before taking a quick peek at the last sent message to make sure it wasn't something that would make him regret his choice of school and classes. When he chose what school to attend, he hadn't realized Fenton's sister went there as well until he showed up to his first day of class at the beginning of the year to find they shared a few of the same courses. They decided to become study partners after that, though Jazz had a few misgivings in the beginning still thinking Dash couldn't be tutored. He grinned a little when he remembered her realizing that he was actually pretty smart.

"Oh really?" Jazz folded her arms over the desk with that irritating knowing look entering her aqua colored eyes. Dash frowned, already knowing that he probably wouldn't like what came out of her mouth next. "From the first moment you met Danny, you couldn't take your eyes off him. Heck, you even kissed him!"

"He was dressed up like a girl!" Dash argued, though it didn't incite as much anger in him as it did a few months ago. After he made the decision to forgive Fenton and move on from what happened in the past, his anger and hatred simply washed away as he started to get to know the real Fenton.

"Not the point." Jazz shook her head. "The point is, even if it wasn't love at first sight, there was something there between the two of you that drew your attraction to him. But your father had this one thought drilled into your head that being gay is wrong."

"I have nothing against gay people. My best friends are both gay, and I still love them to death."

"But you believe it's wrong for _you_ to be gay," Jazz corrected, and Dash frowned in response. "Then senior year, here comes your dream girl. She's got the raven hair just like Danny. She has those blue eyes just like Danny. She's basically a female version of Danny, and you blind yourself to that fact because if you come to that realization, you might actually have to admit that you feel attracted to Danny. And when you learn this perfect girl actually is Danny? That just killed any denial you had left in thinking that you had no feelings for Danny."

"Okay. I think of him as a _friend_ ," Dash said firmly. "Now that I'm actually giving him the chance. But that's as far as my feelings go. I've dated girls since that whole dance fiasco thing happened in high school."

"Oh, yes, do tell me about them." Jazz leaned on one arm and smirked. "Were they all raven haired and blue eyed?" She didn't even need Dash to respond to know she hit the nail on the head with that question. "And let me guess. Ever since the two of you made up and you finally stopped raging ridiculous at him, you haven't actually gone on another date with anyone."

"And what would that even prove?" Dash turned his attention back to his textbook, trying to focus his attention on the information they were supposed to be reviewing for the exam.

Jazz rolled her eyes and sighed like this was back in freshmen year and she couldn't believe Dash couldn't answer the simplest of questions correctly. "That you obviously like Danny. You're basically already dating him even if you won't admit to it."

"We're just friends. Nothing we do is even remotely date like. Can we get back to studying?" Dash ignored the smirk spreading wide across Jazz's face as she turned the subject back to their study material.

_Three Months Later_

"I can't believe you didn't come home for Christmas," Dash said, frowning in his disappointment. Once he got back to college after the break, his work load piled up, and this was his first chance to speak to the other man in a while. Dash dodged around some happy couple as he rolled his eyes at their making out in the middle of a campus courtyard. The day was only half over, and he was already sick of all the Valentine's Day crap with couples making out left and right or doing something else overly romantic. As much as he liked sappy romance dramas, the display at college was far too overwhelming for his tastes. If he hadn't needed to pick up some books at the library for studying, Dash didn't think he would even have left his dorm room today.

"Yeah, sorry," Danny said.

It was still weird that Dash was now referring to him by his first name after so many years of calling him Fenton. Dash wasn't even sure when exactly the change occurred. It happened one day when they were about to hang up, and he ended the call with "bye, Danny." After the words left his mouth, they both fell silent for several moments before they both said goodbye again and hung up. From then on, Fenton became Danny in Dash's mind.

"I got swamped with homework and projects," Danny grumbled. "And my group decided they didn't feel like doing any of the work, so I've been trying to get everyone's work done because even if they're asses and using me, I don't want to get a bad grade because of them."

Dash didn't even need to be there to visualize the seething glare on Danny's face. "Give me their names, and I'll kick their asses."

"Not necessary, but thanks." Danny laughed. "And you know, my parents are still on the whole ghost kick and still ask, like, a thousand questions a day. I didn't want my entire winter break to be dodging my parents' questions."

Dash finally made it back to his dorm room, and after dropping the books on his desk, he collapsed onto his bed. "So how are things going with Valerie?"

"A lot better now." Danny's grin was evident in his voice. "And thanks to Vlad, she has a permanent job as a ghost hunter, which she seems to be enjoying. But Vlad only calls on her, and well me, when there's a ghost near our colleges that needs to be dealt with. Now that she's not all rage and hate about what happened, we swap ghost stories, and since our colleges aren't that far off from each other, sometimes we team up. Though it's still kind of weird when Dan shows up to tag along with Valerie. I'm almost beginning to think there's something there between them. And sometimes I let Phantom take control to enjoy himself for a while. He really likes flying off to Vlad's castle to talk with Umbra. Things between them seem to be going well. With Vlad too. It's still kind of weird sharing a body though." There was a pause as he thought. "I haven't heard from Kwan lately. What's up with him?"

"Oh, Vlad got him an internship at his company, so Kwan's been super busy there, and once he gets engrossed in something he likes, he sometimes forgets about the rest of the world." Dash laughed, recalling how excited Kwan was when he first told Dash about the internship and started rambling about all the neat stuff he would get to work on there. "I'm surprised that old geezer never told you."

"He probably thought it would annoy me." It sounded like Danny was frowning. "He gives Valerie the ghost hunting job. Then he gives Kwan a job. He's even paying for Abner to go to that fashion school he dreamed about attending. Abner wasn't going to accept it at first, but then Vlad told him it was a full paid scholarship, and Abner decided to just go with it. I think he still hates having someone pay for him to go there, but he sounds like he's loving the school."

Dash scratched at the back of his head, wondering if he should tell Danny something that happened over the Christmas break. With a sigh, he decided it would probably come out eventually, one way or another. "Vlad offered me work as a ghost hunter too." He cringed in wait for Danny's outburst.

"Is he trying to get everyone I know to work for him?" Danny asked in a dull, somewhat annoyed, tone. "He talked to Tucker, too, about a job position in one of his companies."

"I don't think he means anything bad by it. Probably." Dash pursed his mouth to one side of his face in thought. "And it's not like I'm going to do the ghost hunting thing all the time. It's more like what you and Valerie are doing. If a ghost comes around where I am and needs to be dealt with, I'll take care of it. But I'll still be trying to get my psychology degree."

"I guess Jazz rubbed off a lot on you when she was tutoring you."

Dash rolled his eyes at the obvious grin in Danny's voice. "Yeah, yeah," he replied with some amusement. When he heard noise in the hallway, Dash frowned at the door. "Sounds like some of the people on my floor have decided to throw a party."

"Everyone going a little crazy for Valentine's Day?" It sounded like Danny was suffering from the same experiences as Dash today. "I didn't even want to crawl out of bed today. For the past week, everyone was putting up pink decorations and hearts all over the dorm. And my dorm mate kicked me out of the room so he could have alone time with his girlfriend. Oh well, at least the library is nice and quiet."

Dash rolled his eyes. "You and your books. Should I leave you alone to immerse yourself in all the wonderful literature around you?"

"Ha ha," Danny mocked laugh. "Oh, actually, I think the Ghost Writer is supposed to show up in a few minutes."

"Didn't you say he hated you?" Dash raised an eyebrow at the mention of that particular ghost.

"He did. But we've talked ever since I got him to do the whole shooting stars thing for Paulina and Ember, and when he realized my love for literature, we started getting into this deep discussions about books." Danny laughed. "Now every week or so, we meet up to talk, and it's been pretty great."

"Then I guess I'll leave you book nerds to your little book club. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Dash!"

"Bye, Danny." Dash smiled to himself as he hung up the phone. Glancing over to his desk, he groaned at the amount of work he had left to do. After laying on his bed for a moment longer, he reluctantly got up and walked over to his desk to get back to studying.

_Three Years Later_

Dash stretched his arms over his head as he walked down the street. It felt like much longer than three years since he set foot in Amity Park, but he was finally back after finishing college. He moved back with plans of finding himself an apartment, already having secured himself a job, beyond the continued ghost hunting that he did under the employ of Vlad Masters. The man understood that Dash wanted to do more with his life than simply hunt down the rogue ghosts that crossed into the real world to cause havoc among the living, and Dash appreciated that Vlad allowed him the leeway to do both jobs.

Turning, he walked into one of the shops along the street and found the shop to be somewhat familiar. His dark blue eyes swept over the shop filled with an afternoon crowd of people hanging out at the tables. He spied several people sitting alone with their laptops out and a few cups of coffee littering their tables, making him wonder how long those customers had been in the shop that day. His gaze halted when he spotted a familiar head of raven hair while the man sat with his head bowed and his attention focused on the book laid out on the table. A smirk slipped onto his face as Dash made his way over to that table.

"What," Dash said as he took a seat next to the man, "no drag today?"

"Excuse you - Dash!" Danny gasped when he spotted the blond man. His book flipped shut when he lost his hold on keeping it open. "You didn't say anything about coming back." His eyes were wide behind his glasses as he gazed at Dash like he couldn't believe the man was really right there in front of him.

"I was going to make it a surprise." Dash shrugged, smirking at the reaction. "But I didn't expect to bump into you here." He glanced around the coffee shop. "Or maybe I should have. Do you still work here?"

Danny shook his head, removing his glasses and folding them up neatly to place beside his book on the table. "No, but I still like hanging out here. I still see some of my old co-workers, and they're fun to hang out with." He glanced away, tapping his fingers on his book and chewing on his lower lip. "So what are you doing back in Amity Park? You never mentioned anything about maybe coming back here. I thought you were getting a job somewhere around where you went to college."

Dash shrugged, though he did have some clue about his reason for wanting to return to Amity Park. "A job opportunity opened up here, so I decided to take it."

"That's great!" Happiness flashed in Danny's eyes. "I mean," he coughed, trying to contain his excitement. "What's the job?" The curiousness in his expression didn't hide any of his happiness at seeing Dash again.

"Well, Casper High was looking for a new counselor," Dash explained as he leaned back in his chair. "Lancer apparently encouraged them all to hire me, though I'll still be sort of under the watch a senior counselor."

"Congrats! We should have some kind of celebratory dinner or something," Danny suggested, smiling brightly.

Dash reached up and scratched at his cheek with on finger. "Maybe it could be something a little more than that."

"What do you mean?" Danny blinked owlishly in his confusion, not quite able to puzzle out Dash's meaning.

Dash leaned over on the table, closing the distance between them. He bit back a smirk at the light color splashing across Danny's face at how near they were to each other. "I meant, maybe it could be a date." Before Danny even had the chance to process those words, Dash tilted his head forward, catching the man's mouth with his own, sealing them together in a kiss.

When Dash pulled away, Danny stared with wide eyes, his mouth parting slightly in his shock. "But you're not gay," he mumbled numbly, confused over the whole thing, maybe even believing this was all some sort of dream.

"I've really enjoyed all our talks and the times we've gotten to hang out with each other." Dash pulled back as he rubbed at his neck. He hadn't really planned this part out, and now he was feeling more than a little awkward about it. "And your sister really liked to do the psycho analyzing thing whenever we were studying together. And," he sighed, his body deflating somewhat, "I finally realized about half a year ago that you," he shrugged, "pretty much are the only one for me. Then you told me you took up that job at the library here, and when Lancer called me up about the counseling job," he grinned at Danny, "I couldn't wait to get back here and tell you in person." He leaned closer, his lips brushing over Danny's ear as he spoke his next words. "I love you, Danny."

The arms wrapped around him so quickly and so tightly that Dash was almost dragged right of his seat. "I've wanted to hear those words from you for so long!" Danny said, holding on like he thought Dash would disappear the moment he let go. "And every time I felt a flicker of hope, I told myself to stop being so stupid because there was no way it was ever going to happen. And Phantom kept telling me to stop being an idiot because all I had to do was wait and eventually you'd say them. But I just kept remembering every single time you said you weren't gay."

Dash sighed, his breath ruffling Danny's raven locks. "I was being an idiot. I guess I just needed some time to finally get that way of thinking out of my head. I almost feared I was too late. Maybe while I was being an idiot, you finally moved on."

Danny shook his head. "Never. I fell so hard for you that I could never get rid of those feelings. I still love you just as much as I did back then."

Dash smiled at that. "I don't know that I deserve your love after I was such a dumbass."

"We were both dumbass," Danny reminded him. Pulling back a little so that he could look Dash in the face, Danny grinned. "So where should we go on our first date?"

"Doesn't matter." Dash smiled back. "We could lay out in the park and stare up at the stars all night, and it would be a perfect date in my mind because it would be with you."

Danny rolled his eyes. "You're such a sap sometimes."

"I seem to recall you enjoying all those romance dramas too." Dash wore a wicked grin when Danny flushed at the mention of those late nights when he popped in some of his favorite movies of that genre for them to watch. Leaning in, he stole another gentle kiss as Danny sighed happily into it. They could have enjoyed far more moments like this in the past if only Dash had broken free of his father's way of thinking long before now. But dwelling on that thought was useless. All that really mattered was that he was finally admitting the truth about his feelings, and he planned on never throwing away his chance with Danny ever again.


End file.
